


Don't Fear the Absol

by Ladon_Chompers



Series: Raihan/Piers [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: A LOT OF CUTENESS, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Language, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant, Other, Pokemon, Pokemon Battles, Power of Friendship, SWORD version gym leaders, Spoilers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, diverges from canon mainly for aesthetic purposes only, in this house we love dark type pokemon, minor character death is my OC, more graphic violence later on, pokemon-world violence now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:54:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29163774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladon_Chompers/pseuds/Ladon_Chompers
Summary: Piers and Raihan feel themselves drawn to one another as the inhabitants of Galar are threatened by total destruction. Are things like Trust, Love, and Cuteness enough to save the nation? And can you fight back Darkness with...more darkness?
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Kibana | Raihan & Sonia, Dande | Leon/Sonia, Hop & Mary | Marnie, Hop & Yuuri | Gloria, Kabu & Nezu | Piers (Pokemon), Kibana | Raihan/Nezu | Piers, Mary | Marnie & Yuuri | Gloria
Series: Raihan/Piers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2191647
Comments: 18
Kudos: 22





	1. Memento

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Champion's Cup Finals are under way, and Match #5 proves to be a right good battle.

“Let’s finish this, Duraladon! My partner will blow the crowd away!” Raihan roared over the sandstorm that continued to whip across the pitch. A bright pink light glowed as he began to Dynamax his beloved Duraladon. But as always, he spared a moment for a quick selfie. His Rotom Phone whizzed about and snapped quick pictures.

“Think again! Come on Obstagoon, let’s make some noise!” Piers shouted into the microphone.

This battle had thus far exceeded all expectations, especially for Piers. He didn’t think he’d get this far into the Champion's Cup tournament. He had told Gloria earlier that he aimed to win it all, but that had seemed like wishful thinking at the time. Now, he had finally made it to the Final Four after all these years of trying.

The whole stadium was on their feet and cheering. He heard the crowd begin to sing the most popular fight-song in Galar. All those people cheering them both on in unison... It was an incredible feeling.

Spikemuth's gym leader looked on as Duraladon grew and grew, until the pokemon eclipsed them in a giant shadow.

He grinned. His trusty Obstagoon awaited his next command with jittery anticipation. Piers stared across the pitch as he held his microphone close. Raihan stared right back with crazed eyes and bared teeth. 

“Duraladon, G-Max Depletion! Our dragon’s roar will cut you down!”

“Heh… _~~Obstagoon, my fiercest friend! Use Obstruct, we’ll see it to the end! We got no need t’ Dynamax! Won’t beat us luv, not a chance!~~_ ” Obstagoon leapt forward and used Obstruct. Duraludon bellowed and rained down a vortex of purple flames as it used G-Max Depletion. The audience gasped at the powerful display; the wisps of sand illuminated in purple.

“WHAT,” Raihan growled. “ _IMPOSSIBLE!!_ ”

What Raihan thought was impossible was that his opponent’s pokemon was still standing after a perfect shot. Obstagoon still took damage, but had yet to faint. “Neat trick… But we’ll burn you to embers! Max-Flare!” Duraladon reared back and shot a beam of fire at Obstagoon.

When the smoke cleared, the pokemon had been scorched to hell... But it remained standing. This drove Raihan crazy!

“ _~~This is it! Use Brick Break! Rock the stadium!~~_ ” If you blinked, you would have missed Obstagoon rush the steel behemoth with a wicked punch. Duraludon stumbled back a step or two.

Horns from Team Yell blared above the chaos. The sandstorm raged on.

“G-Max Depletion! _LET’S GO!_ ”

“ _~~Use Hyper Voice, and turn the tide. Let’s unleash the power we hold inside!!!~~_ ” The crowd grew eerily quiet as people gasped again and pointed. Piers took a stance that shocked the crowd. His fans and concert-goers were the only ones to recognize what he was about to do.

Piers.  
Took the mic.  
_Off it’s stand._

They were hysterical!

Obstagoon used Hyper Voice. He let loose a wall of sound.

At the same moment, Piers slid to his knees on the turf and erupted into a banshee-wail. It was an amazing vocal feat. His fans would flood Pokegram and Flutter later, declaring his voice was more angelic than a Primarina.

That banshee-wail made Raihan feel different. He couldn’t put it to words if he tried. All he could do was match that intensity with a guttural roar. There was little doubt that Arceus themself could hear them on the pitch today.

Again, the stadium was flooded with sand, kicked up earth, and a tower of dark purple energy. People in the stands, families in their homes, friends at their local pubs; they all looked on with bated breath.

Obstagoon collapsed.

Raihan jumped and flexed. He was overjoyed to win! His Rotom Phone snapped a flurry of selfies for which he made his cutest faces for. He hugged Duraludon and jumped around in celebration.

He looked towards his opponent; what he saw nearly broke his heart.

But he was startled and forced to look away by the announcer’s booming voice filling the stadium.

 **IT SEEMS THAT DURALADON IS THE LAST ONE STANDING. VICTORY GOES TO RAIHAN**!

Raihan summoned his partner into his pokeball for a rest as he walked towards his opponent.

* * *

Piers froze.

He remained kneeling as he summoned Obstagoon back to his pokeball. He looked down at the Dusk Ball that now held his closest companion.

“Thanks, mate. Fer everything,” Piers whispered. Obstagoon rattled in his pokeball, a sure sign he was happy to hear him.

_He felt just like a kid again… And this time, that was a good thing._

_He felt the burden lifting, finally._

“Oi. Piers.”  
  
“...hmm?” Piers looked up and his heart skipped. Raihan was so close to him. He felt so silly now, looking up with such awe.

“Need a hand?” The tall gym leader offered Piers his hand. Raihan looked so gentle and careful in the moment. It took him a second to process it all, but the rocker accepted. He was hoisted up onto his feet.

“...thanks.” He instantly tried to return to his usual somber look. They were still on national television, after all. Piers had that dark reputation to uphold...

“You were bloody brilliant, mate.” Raihan offered his hand again, this time to shake on it. “Put ‘er there?” His usual flirty visage was back.

“...likewise.” Piers accepted, and shook on it briefly. He tried to look away once more. 

He wasted no time heading off the pitch, in the opposite direction of Raihan. He stopped to answer a few reporters, but then headed to the locker rooms to bandage his scraped knees.

* * *

Raihan checked his Pokegram feed. It was all the usual stuff: his recent victory poses, an article about wild pokemon rehabilitation, recaps from this gym challenge season, and a video of him training with his three proteges. Just then, Leon texted him:

**L: sup Rai**  
  
**R: hey Lee! Ready for our rematch?**

**L: dont get cocky, mate. Got one more round before ya lose to me again! Haha!**

**R: oh you’re gonna lose for sure!!!! >:3**

Raihan chuckled as he and the Champion typed their banter at a rapid pace. He was so transfixed by their playful trash-talking he nearly jumped out of his skin when-

“Hello, Raihan.”

“EEH! K-Kabu!” Raihan slid off the bench as he shrieked. He landed hard on his ass. Kabu didn’t even flinch. He offered a hand up. Raihan took it and stood back up. He was surprised by how strong Kabu actually was.

“I apologize for startling you.”

“No no… ‘s fine.” He tried to pretend he hadn’t just squawked like a startled Pidove. “So. Preparing for next season already?”

“I never stop training.” Raihan knew the older gym leader long enough to know that this was a more playful tone, despite the severity on his face.

“Always good t’hear. Did I avenge you just now…?” Raihan quirked an eyebrow.  
  
“Yes. And no. Piers did exactly what I thought he would do.”

“Really? _Lose?_ ”  
  
“...don’t be cheeky, Raihan,” Kabu smiled softly. He sat on the same bench and motioned for Raihan to join him. Being respectful of his elders, the dragon-tamer complied with a benign shrug. “I won’t ramble too long.”

“No rush, Kabu.”

“Right. After our battle, where Piers seized victory...” Kabu was not a native Galarian. His Hoenn accent was much less severe after decades abroad, but he still had moments of pause to parse out the words best suited for what he meant. “I congratulated him. He had then asked for my advice.”  
  
“Now that’s a shocker! How’d you manage that?!” Raihan tilted his head to one side. He was fully engaged now with this juicy information. “He avoids almost every gym leader event…”  
  
“We talk sometimes. He’s kind…in his own way,” Kabu smiled more. If thinking of talking with Piers made Kabu of all people smile, Raihan felt he perhaps misjudged the Dark-type gym leader... “He’s more than he appears.”

“Sooo, what did he ask you about?”

“That is between Piers and myself- LET ME FINISH!” Kabu held a hand up. Raihan was forced to swallow down his protests at the moment, and deflated. “I wanted to tell you only because I think you two could be great friends.”  
  
“Wha-” Raihan was surprised.

_The thought of being friends with Piers…_

_They were almost friends when they were kids. But then Raihan traveled through Galar with Lee and Sonia on their own gym challenge without him... He had assumed Piers grew resentful. After that, he may have made more assumptions._

_But after what Kabu had said, m_ _aybe there was a glimmer of hope? The thought of maybe made him giddy._

“Uh. Raihan…?” Kabu waved a hand in front of the younger gym leader’s face. Raihan just rested his chin in his hands, his blush growing as he grinned like a fool. “Young man, you still have another match t- oh nevermind…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Memento: The user faints when using this move. In return, this harshly lowers the target's Attack and Sp. Atk stats.


	2. Hone Claws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piers tries to keep cool after experiencing several turbulent emotions earlier that day, while Raihan enlists help from a trusted friend.

“Rotom: find the Gym Leader bio for Piers.”

“Yezzz! Here!” Raihan’s Rotom Phone pulled open a new PokeNet tab. It was the official Galar League web page. He saw a picture of Piers from his current league card. 

**Piers Penumbra**

**#061**

**City: Spikemuth**

**Type Specialty: Dark**

Raihan flipped through more tabs. He thought it best to gather information on the man first. Not much luck there. Piers avoided interviews the best that he could. Every photograph he could find of him looked so dark and formidable. He looked more like a scrawny Obstagoon than a human in some of these if Riahan were to be honest. A dangerous kind of beauty. He found no new information for a while. 

But Raihan struck gold when he stumbled upon a fan site for Piers’ music. He sifted through comments:

 **rocker420:** **his presence on stage blew me away!!!and the passion and energy behind it all is just unreal!!! especially “Neon Lights”!!**

**xXcorvi-nightXx: i wish whoever “Fangs” is about a very pleasant evening indeed ;)**

**321shredder: I always have gr8 fun at his concerts. theatrics adn lighting really bring the songs 2 life.**

**_houndoomsday_: Piers gave me some pointers on how to raise my Zigzagoon after one of his shows! He's the BEST!!!!**

**ShadowRapidash: He’s never done THAT before...stage-slide during a match...what does this mean...**

Raihan grew more intrigued at that last comment. _Am I really the first opponent he’s done that for? That’s-_

The announcer called for him to return for his next match. He pocketed his Rotom Phone, but only after writing a reminder to look up these songs later. 

* * *

Marnie and Hop sat in the stands. They were surrounded by members of Team Yell, save for one seat empty to Marnie’s left. That was saved for her big brother. Hop was showing Marnie and Morpeko pictures from a café in Hammerlocke. The desserts were shaped like Pokémon. This was able to get Marnie to smile just a little bit. They turned to see Piers as he slumped into the empty chair next to his sister.

“Hey Piers, what kept you?!” Hop asked with a wide grin. 

“Mind yer business, runt…” Piers grumbled with no bite behind his words. He took a drink from a large soft drink cup he’d bought on the deck below theirs. 

“You just missed Gloria beat Bea,” Marnie stated softly. She took the cup from him without protest and stole some sips. She heard her brother sniffle once; she knew then he had cried recently. She made no comment. Yet. “Next match begins in five. You eat yet?” 

“...” Her brother took his soft drink back without a word. 

"Piers...you eat?"

"..." Nothing. His face was just as subdued as ever. Just like her own, most times. 

“Hey,” Marnie hissed as she fixed her eyes on him. He didn’t turn to meet her more intense gaze. Then she shoved something wrapped in tin foil into his hands. “Eat.” 

“ _...thanks, Nurse Joy._ ” Piers quipped. He absentmindedly opened the wrappings and took a bite: it was a cheeseburger. 

“ _Shut it_ ,” she elbowed him in the arm. But she softened when she was sure he would continue eating. Hop saw this display and busied himself with checking his Rotom Phone. He knew perfectly well that siblings were just like that.

  
  
  


The two opponents made their way to the center of the field. Fans for both sides began to cheer and holler as they had a brief meeting. Raihan and Gloria walked their customary 30 paces. Or...15 paces for Raihan. He was too bloody tall. 

Then the battle began.

Piers started off cheering for Gloria. He gave it his best, and screamed as loud as he could without a microphone. But as the battle continued, he caught himself stealing more glances at the renowned gym leader from Hammerlocke.

_He just keeps getting more handsome, how is that possible? Every damn year he just gets more stunning. What an absolute tease..._

"Look lively," Marnie elbowed him in the side after she noticed he'd stopped cheering. He tried to shake it off. He cheered for Gloria even harder.

* * *

Raihan was gutted to have lost. He was at least glad it was to Gloria. She was a really amazing trainer. And he wouldn’t dare admit it, but he was...a bit _distracted_. He swiped through more Pokegram pages to cope with the sting of defeat. His phone began to ring. It was Leon.

"Don't salt the wound," Raihan started with a huff.

"I admit it crossed my mind for a moment," Lee answered sheepishly. "But don't lose heart! You were amazing today!"

"I always am."

"You're so full of it..." Leon laughed on the other end of the call. "See you at the match?”

”Yeah. I’ll be there to see you lose!” 

”In your dreams!”

”Hey...Lee? Can I ask you something?" Raihan felt a blush crawl up his face from the sudden change in tone. 

"Hm? What is it, Rai?" Leon sounded slightly worried.

"I just- Do you remember Piers?" _Wow. Way to sound dense._

"...um, Piers? _Spikemuth's gym leader Piers?_ Yes, of course I do! Have you stumbled and hit your head?"

"No. I mean. Have you been in contact with him since our own gym-challenge...?"

"Um...no. I feel a little guilty about that." He could here Galar's Champion sigh. "Sonia still stays in contact, though...I'm not sure how often."

"Uh. Well, I wanted to get to know him better. See if we could be friends and all. So I'm calling on my good mate for some help." Hammerlocke's gym leader gave his own sigh.

"Oh. _Just friends?_ "

"L-Lee!" For some strange reason, the great Raihan felt a shot of embarrassment. "Not like that! Just platonic, I promise you!"

"You never get this nervous unless if it's for someone you truly fancy..." Leon was clearly smirking on the other end of the line. "...I will help you. But, we shall make a bet! If you ever want it to be more than platonic? _You owe me six max revives!_ "

"And when- not if- WHEN you finally ask Sonia out? _You owe me a Dusk Stone_ _._ " 

"...mmm!!!" Galar's Unbeatable Champion seemed to wrestle with his feelings in a panicked manner, without a word for several seconds. "D-Deal. How can I be of assistance, then?"

* * *

  
“So you really did it, ye?” Marnie asked Piers as they left the stadium for the day. 

“Yup. Should be official after the Champion Match. You should’ve seen Oleana’s face...”

”You doin’ okay?”

“I’m fine,” her older brother answered dryly.

”So why were you cryin’ before?” She looked at his face for a response. Piers stopped walking.

”...yer a nosy bugger, y'know that?.”

”I know. What happened?"

”Just leave it be...”

"Piers..."

 _”...I was just missin' Moira is all.”_ he whispered. 

“Oh..." Marnie got very quiet. She missed their aunt too.

"You goin' with Hop 'n Gloria?" Piers smiled a tad after he saw the blush cross his sister's face. "They're odd Duckletts, but decent enough. Go have fun."

"They're fine, I guess," Marnie huffed as she crossed her arms as the blush grew. "Love ya." 

"Love ya," Piers answered gently. He let Morpeko hug his leg before they both walked away towards the other two kids. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hone Claws: The user sharpens its claws to boost its Attack stat and accuracy.
> 
> UPDATE: I realize this may be a weird detail that I added (because it's not necessarily like this in the game), but this story has the NORMAL Champion's Cup span over three days:  
> Day 1 = Semi-Finals  
> Day 2 = "Elite Eight" Bracket  
> Day 3 = The Champion Match, then a big festival 
> 
> Obviously, something will mess with this year's plans... In part, I made the distinction as a means for more Raihan/Piers fluff + pining between Raihan's last match and the Champion Match... ;)


	3. Snarl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback within a flashback; Piers follows through with a major life decision after the events of last night catch up to him.

**EARLIER**

The moment Piers had stepped foot into the main lobby after his loss to Raihan, he was approached by a familiar woman in heels.

“Piers.”

“...”

“I was looking for y-”

“Y’ found me. Cheers.”

“We have business to discuss, Piers.”

“Don’t care fer banter, Oleana...” He scowled her way. She looked calm as usual. 

“I have reports from League Staff about what you did last evening. They are...distressing.” 

“... _how so._ ”

He stared at her with darkened eyes. It wasn’t a question, but a challenge. They both knew the vice-chairman was there, and had made a game of separating Leon from his little brother...

She called his bluff by waving him towards a private office space guarded by a member of the League Staff. He followed her inside. Now it was just the two of them and the guard outside.

“You were seen coordinating public disturbances with those Spikemith ruffians. You have much to answer for.”

“Anyone hurt?”

“That is irrelevant. You instigated battling in the streets. And you held an unsanctioned concert in the monorail lobby! Chairman Rose is rather disappointed...” Oleana's underlying anger was peeking out.

“ _Let ‘im be._ ” Piers narrowed his eyes. "I’ve got no reason t'be sorry. I was just havin' a little fun...said yerself it was a _menial_ _game._ "

“I will NOT tolerate this disrespect for Chairman Rose's AUTHORITY!" There it was. She shouted with eyes full of rage.

“Tch. Seems you tolerate cruelty just fine... What’s wrong with you?”

"How DARE you!! When MOIRA was leader, she would NEVER talk like th-" 

“ _KEEP HER NAME OUT OF YER FUCKIN' MOUTH!!"_ Piers roared.

* * *

_Marnie was 1, Piers was 11. Aunty Moira took custody of him and baby Marnie when they were such small things. Dad (her brother) and Mum had died._

_Aunty Moira... She was a big, boisterous woman with a huge heart. Had as much muscle as a Machoke, and toxic-pink hair woven into a huge braid. The same color as the Spikemuth Gym uniforms... She helped Piers with many of his firsts: catching his first Dark-type Pokémon, trying his first 5-alarm curry, attending his first rock concert, and using his first liquid eyeliner._

_“See this lug?” She motioned to her gigantic Krookodile one day. Piers’ knees wouldn’t stop shaking as the monstrous thing lumbered closer. “He looks real mean, yeh? A proper brute. But, if ya get t’know ‘im…?”_

_She held up a Poke’Doll to Krookodile. It looked like a baby Togepi._

_Krookodile’s eyes dilated to the point that could only be described as adorable! He waddled up to Moira with his gangly little arms outstretched and chortled at her. “Have it then!” She held the Poke’Doll within his reach. He swiped it and crashed to the ground on his back, rocking the plushy on his stomach like it was his best mate. The happiest little sounds came out of such an imposing creature._

_“Aww hehe.” Piers suddenly didn’t feel so scared anymore._

_“See? A right big softy. He’s like most of us in Spikemuth. Pokémon and people.”_

_“Really?”_

_“Oh yeah! Dark-type Pokémon look scary. And some become nasty bullies, that’s true. But most of ‘em play, and make friends, an' have fun. Just like you an’ Marns.”_

_“Nah. Yer yankin’ my chain, Aunty.”_

_“Swear I ain’t, Piers. They just like darkness. Darkness ain’t so scary. It’s softer on the eyes, if yer accustomed; it makes 'em feel safe. And when they feel safe- Remember when we caught Zigzagoon?”_

_“Yeah. He growled at us and chomped his teeth. But then we gave ‘im space and some snacks, and now he’s my best mate! Besides Marnie...”_

_“Right you are! Zigzagoon, like other Dark type Pokémon and even some people... They look real mean and bark a bit at first. It's how they protect themselves. But if y’show them you mean ‘em no harm, 9 out of 10 times they’ll warm up t’ya! Even if it’s slowly. Bit by bit." She smiled wide. "Food helps plenty as well!"_

_“Huh. Didn’t think of that.”_

_“Yeah. That’s why yer genius aunty’s got ya.” She brought him over to Krookodile slowly. The Pokémon immediately snapped its head to look at them approaching. Piers’ poor knees began to wobble all over again. The creature rolled over and stood back up, holding the plushy Togepi in its claws. “Easy, Piers. Just be still, and then do what we did b’fore.”_

_“O-okay,” Piers whispered. He tried to stabilize himself, and he slowly reached into his pockets. He took out some Pecha berries and tried his best to look like a tough guy. “Oi. Krookodile.”_

_“...diiiile.” The pokemon rumbled real low. Piers took a shaky breath._

_“I think yer cool. Wanna be mates?”_

_“Krooo…” A different kind of grumble. That was progress. Krookodile lumbered closer to get a better look._

_“I got sweets fer ya.”_

_“...” The beast sniffed the boy. And his jaws opened slowly. Trying not to shy away, Piers tossed the Pecha berries into the Pokémon’s mouth. SNAP. And the berries were devoured._

_Krookodile’s eyes got all cute again, and began to rub its cheek against Piers, cooing softly. Piers had felt so happy then, and began to giggle as he pet the giant beast._

_“Ye like sweets too, yeh?” And they had been good friends since._

* * *

_Marnie was 5, Piers was 15. And little sis wanted her own Pokémon._

_“Yer too young, Marns.”_

_“I want one! I wanna be a twainer like you! Get me a pokuhmon, pleeeeaase?!” Little Marnie pouted. She looked close to crying again. And Piers would hate to be the cause of more tears._

_“Fine... Be back soon. Stay put with Inkay.” With Moira swamped with work some nights, Piers was always fulfilling the duties of Mum #2. He brought out Inkay. All of the floating and blinking lights would distract his sister for a while._

_Piers slowly walked towards the office to go ask Aunty for more Dusk Balls. He got closer and heard her making a serious phone call. She sounded so sad, instead of her rowdy self. He snuck a peek into the room._

_“- I know what yer sayin', Mr. Chairman. Please. Don't misunderstand. Th' offer is real nice... But why can't we construct a stadium in Spikemuth? Or right outside?" She listened for the response. Her nephew didn't like how tired she looked. "This all seems a bit unfair Rose…” More listening… “No stadium if it ain’t in Spikemuth, that’s my final word." She hung up the phone and held her head in her hands. Moments later, she roared as she flipped her entire desk over!_

_Piers walked off quietly. He’d be fine with the Dusk Balls he already had…_

_He snuck out towards Route 7. This was before there was any tunnel. Soon the boy heard the usual chittering and hooting of nocturnal Pokémon. He took Linoone out of his pokeball. They ran into the night, Linoone occasionally sprinting back to Piers to drop off a stray berry or feather he found. His special ability was "Pickup". Linoone called out when he heard a fight, and lolled his tongue. They raced to the scene._

_They found several Meowth assailing a real nasty creature. Linoone leapt into the fray at the first chance and fought them off at Piers’ command. Then Linoone poked at the pokemon left behind. It bit Linoone’s snout. Then it shot out sparks as it’s fury was made fully known. Piers called Linoone back. Very reluctantly, he returned to his own Dusk ball._

_“Hey lil guy. Ain’t here t’ hurt ya.”_

_“Peeeeekoko!”_

_“Promise, mate.” Piers sat down in front of the wild pokemon. He held up both hands non-threateningly. He forced himself to keep that neutral face he had practiced. “See? Harmless.”_

_“Mor-mor! Ko!” The wild Morpeko stomped closer. It’s sinister eyes were glowing red. For a moment, the boy was afraid he'd made the wrong call pulling this stunt again. He almost got killed when he attempted the same thing with a Bisharp in the Wild Area... He held his ground anyway._

_“Hungry? Lucky you. I got some Oran berries.”_

_He reached into his pocket. The little monster sniffed the air and snatched the berries at first glace. They were gobbled up almost instantly. Suddenly, Morpeko shifted. It looked happy and full, and not at all like the nasty little bugger it was before. It was bloody adorable! “_ _Yer just like Marnie when she gets hungry. But yer both real cute otherwise.” He smiled now, but kept a calm tone. No sudden movements. “Hi. I’m Piers. Wanna be mates?”_

* * *

_Marnie was 6, Piers was 16._

_He was calling Sonia from a stadium phone. The officials were kind enough to let him borrow one of the phones in an empty office. They felt bad telling him no because he had no cellular phone of his own._

_"I'm so sorry Piers! I wish I could hug you right now." Young Sonia meant every word._

_"It's fine..." Piers rubbed tears from his eyes as he continued to sniffle. "I was never gonna make it anyhow..."_

_Piers choked in Ballonlea. He trained special for this! He made sure that his team had the right items, the right moves, the right mindset. Opal still beat him._

_"Nonsense! I saw the match on the telly! You were bloody brilliant!"_

_"Sonia. Marns' got more of a knack at 6 than I did at 10, I can tell...her an' that Morpeko."_

_"Now you listen to me Piers Penumbra! You gave that old Gogoat a run for her money! I didn't even make it past Kabu, I'll have you know." She huffed and puffed as any friend would as righteous fury overtook her. "You did splendidly."_

_"Sonia... I'm no good..."_

_"I shan't be led to believe for one moment that Lady Penumbra taught you to lie, young man," said someone behind him. Piers spun around and saw Opal, the old Gogoat herself, looming over him._

_"C-call ye back..." Piers hung up the phone. "M-madame Opal!" He bowed._

_"There there, dry your eyes now," she offered a kind smile. "You were so very close. I dare say, if you had Dynamaxed your Scrafty you might have beaten me."_

_"That's the thing, miss... I don't dynamax. Not ever."_

_"I see..." She sighed the way grumpy old people sighed. "Novertheless, you were a very challenging opponent. I have no doubt that you have made Lady Penumbra very proud indeed." She reached into her purse and took out a card. "Please take this, if you would be so kind? You've earned it." It was her rare league card (the one from before all that business with Bede). She looked like a young witch with black hair. Piers smiled weakly, thinking of how happy Sonia would be to hand it over to Leon. He collected these silly cards._

_"Th-thank you very much, Miss-" He looked around. Opal was nowhere in sight._

* * *

_Marnie was 9, Piers just turned 20 last month._

_He got the call from Kabu before they heard it on the news. The train had derailed on its way to Hammerlocke. Moira was gone on impact, officials said._

_Now he was suddenly Marnie’s sole guardian. In a sense, he was the guardian of Spikemuth now as well. He didn't necessarily want to become the gym leader. But someone had to do it._

_Out of her whole team, Piers was given Mr. Mime & Noivern. The former swore off battling out of grief, while the latter refused to cooperate at all... The others went with her senior gym trainers._

_So Piers put on a brave face after that. Since the news he’d cry in front of his Pokemon, a few times with Marnie, and once into Sonia’s shoulder during the funeral ceremony. But that was it. He needed to be tough for Spikemuth now._

* * *

_Marnie is 16 going on 17, and Piers is 27._

_Piers gave it all he had and then some. He endured two seasons in the Minors, then a full five seasons in the Majors. And he got so sick and tired of everybody’s shite. He was exhausted!_ _It was such a bitch trying to keep Spikemuth from falling apart. So was providing the means to secure a better future for Marnie. Everyone else in town knew he was going above and beyond. Everyone but Piers._

_He felt like a Dark-type himself: he was all shadows and sharp edges these days. He ate very little. Didn’t have many friends. But there was still a big, warm heart in him. He just wouldn't admit it out loud..._

_It was no debate that he would help those (secretly lovable) runts last night. He was still Moira’s boy._

* * *

“ _M-Mr. Penumbra…?_ ” Oleana began. She was properly spooked now. Piers did nothing but glare with rage. And she thought she had anger issues! The man in front of her looked like a Crobat out of hell! “I can call the Chairman, if you would fancy discussing things with him yourself...”

“No need. I _fancy_ retiring.” He instantly snapped back to gloomy indifference as he took a slip of paper out of his jacket pocket. She took it when offered and read some lines. 

“...I don’t know what to say.”

“Then say. _Nothing._ ” Piers Penumbra, #061, made his way to the door. He left the room and shouldered the guard on the way out.

He walked straight back into the locker room. A short while later, Piers held his hand steady as he reapplied his eyeliner using a bathroom mirror. He found it best to get the crying done quickly, then magic away the evidence with makeup. Midnight Blush eyeshadow, Charcoal eyeliner. It had worked for years. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snarl: The user yells as if it's ranting about something, which lowers the Sp. Atk stat of opposing Pokémon.
> 
> Don't worry, there will be a flashback for Raihan, too!


	4. Crunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to the Present: Raihan enacts Phase One of his plan to befriend Piers...

**BACK TO THE PRESENT**

Now that Piers was finally alone, he walked slowly along the riverside. It was shady there and a cool breeze came in off the water. It was like heaven to no longer be standing in direct sunlight. There was no weather in Spikemuth. Literally. He hadn’t been in direct sunlight in the past...two years? His alabaster skin was proof enough. At least Marnie had the time to adjust to it while on her journey this year. He thought he was going to have a heat stroke!

He heard footsteps closing in. Piers turned to spot Raihan jogging in his direction. Wait, Raihan? _Shite._

“Piers! Hey!” The taller man approached. 

”Raihan...” The Dark-type leader tried hard not to look shocked. 

”Hey, I was looking for you in the stadium!” 

“...why.” 

“I wanted to talk with you for a bit.” _Double shite._

“...what about?”

“Well, for starters I wanted to say that you were truly amazing in our last battle! We should have a rematch some time,” the Hammerlocke gym leader said with no lack of charm. _He’s just like this. It means nothing..._

“I lost.” His gaze remained somber and subdued. “Or were ya at some other match today?”

“You nearly beat me, you know. And beyond that, I was hoping to extend an Occa branch of Peace? I’ve been told that we could get on rather well...”

”I doubt it,” Piers scoffed lightly as he mentally swore revenge on Kabu. He was the only gym leader that he even remotely opened up to. “I’m rotten company...”

”Well perhaps I could be the judge of that,” Raihan replied. The taller of the two raised his arm and leaned against the lamppost that was between them. _Triple shite._ “Why don’t we go somewhere and chat for a spell. What do you say?” 

“...”

“ _I promise I don’t bite,_ ” Raihan smiled with those pretty fangs of his. It took all of Piers’ strength not to gulp. 

“...only in the shade.” He found that for some weird reason, he was willing to try. It must have been the impending heat stroke...no other reason.

* * *

Piers kept Raihan to his right side, but Raihan tried to gravitate towards his left when possible. He wanted to see the other man's face and not just a wall of black and white hair. There was still this gnawing feeling in the back of his mind: _Why would Lee accuse me of seduction? This is simply making friends. I’m always friendly!_

It didn’t make this any less weird. 

To avoid the Sun, he had a brilliantly horrid idea. He only realized while already in the situation that it was, in fact, brilliantly horrid. He thought it was perfect right before they boarded. They would have tinted windows and some fresh air, with privacy as a bonus! It should have been fine, right?

They were riding the Galar Hurricane, Wyndon's world-famous Ferris wheel. Alone together.

Raihan had to keep his long legs to one side of the car so their knees wouldn't touch. Piers for once was sitting up straight with both hands on his lap. There was silence as the car began to move. The car shook a bit, and Piers' hand shot to the side of the car for stability, otherwise he feared he would fall forward into the other rider. 

It was difficult at first to get Piers to talk. The man was so reserved, and the rather intimate setting seemed to make this whole deal futile from the very start. His counterpart was a master of keeping a poker face. Raihan in turn exhibited calm and a bit of grace, just as usual. But there were several topics that finally earned him progress. Piers began to talk more openly after Raihan complimented him for his younger sister's placement in the semi-finals. And they both agreed that the spicier the curry, the better. Once or twice, Piers had said unkind things about himself, so Raihan tried to dissuade him from thinking such silly things. There were other times that his companion fell silent completely and glanced out the tinted windows to the city below. But he was clearly always listening. It wasn’t much longer until their ride was over.

* * *

So Raihan suggested they continue over at a park that he knew. Miraculously, Piers agreed! He felt very proud of himself that he hadn’t made Piers run off after such a rocky start. As always, Kabu was right when making a judgement of character: they got on swimmingly! The pair bought water bottles along the way. Raihan had enough insight to buy extra: he offered another to Piers after the shorter man had made short work of his own water. He seemed very weak and parched in the heat of the sun...

They talked some more under the shade of a large tree in the park. It started feeling natural since they both looked at the sprawling park instead of directly at one another. Piers was actually warming up to him, in his own way. He didn't feel as awkward when Piers chose to just listen at times. Raihan talked some about training dragons, and may have mentioned the Hammerlocke Vault once or twice (he couldn't help himself). Piers made a fond remark about how he sometimes wove a folktale into songs that he wrote. Another offer to have a rematch was made, which again went unanswered. And they realized they had been talking for nearly three hours. So Raihan roped Piers into taking a quick selfie. (He'd told him it was to remember their battle from earlier, but it was really to commemorate this victory. Getting to talk with him.) 

They both stood up. Raihan winced as he heard Piers' back crack in six or seven places. 

“Raihan.”

“Yes?”

“...thanks fer this.” Piers averted his gaze, and he hooked a finger into the charm on his choker again. He had done this several times during their talk. _That's really cute..._

“Any time! But before I go...here’s my number.” He wrote down his personal number on a scrap of paper which he handed to Piers.

“...w-what for?” Suddenly Piers looked up at him all wide-eyed and nervous.

“Because I think you’re great company, Piers! We should stay in touch! You can text or call me any time.” He made every attempt to smile warmly and not seductively.

“...!!!” Piers couldn’t hide it no matter how much he turned his head away. His face was Cheri-red. “Bye.” Piers walked off towards the hotel. Raihan froze in place as he watched the long-haired singer leave. It took him far longer to process that than it should have. Numbers and equations were swimming around his brain as he tried to figure it all out.

_SHITE. WAS THAT TOO- DID I JUST MUCK IT ALL UP??? FUCK!!!_

* * *

Piers returned to the hotel as he tried to get rid of the blush on his face. He hoped people thought it was just sunburn... Then, he wasted no more time with it. He summoned them all out. 

“You all were great today, lads,” he said tiredly. “Let’s rest a bit.” They all knew the drill. They each made short work of gathering up the blankets and pillows. The whole crew had shoved the furniture haphazardly to the end of the large suite when they first got there, with the heavy bed frame blocking sunlight from blasting through the window. It was just like camping together when they all were younger.

Their trainer sat in the middle of the makeshift nest. Skuntank and Obstagoon circled around and curled up on either side of Piers to support his back. Toxtricity sat opposite Piers; he allowed Scrafty to sit in his lap after he'd brought Piers a glass of tap water. Malamar rested behind the two supporting his back and brought a tentacle down to pet Piers’ head gently. 

“Tch. You’re all softies, th’ lot of you...” The dark-type master practically melted into their soft fur with an exhausted groan. He was finally in darkness again. 

“Tox tox.” “Marrrr.” “Ob STA goooon!” “Sc-scrafty…” “Skun. Tank.”

“So kind...what would I do without ya?” He wasn’t smiling just yet but they knew their trainer felt safe with them. Each of the dark-type pokemon took real pride in that. Piers never feared them. Their bonds of trust were stronger than a Steelix. Piers quirked a brow as Scrafty began giggling- well, if a pokemon was capable of giggling, this would be the prime example. “What.”

“Scr-af-af-af!” The Dark-Fighting type sat taller in Toxtricity’s lap and held both arms up. He growled playfully with lidded eyes.

“A great Ursaring you’d make,” their trainer grinned weakly. 

“SCRAF!” He shook his head no. Now he was flapping his arms, making weird hissing sounds. Another playful growl. 

“What’s this? Have y’finally hit yer skull too hard?”

“Scraf-tyyy…” Scrafty looked annoyed that his trainer didn’t understand. He seemed to explain himself to the other Pokemon, which each in their turn chortled and huffed like they were all having a good laugh. 

“Care to explain? I don’t like missin’ out on the fun. Y'know that,” Piers feigned a hurt pout.

“Toxxx-trici. Tyy tyy.” His Low-Key Toxtricity held up a hand in a ‘wait a moment’ gesture, then pointed to Malamar. Recognizing this queue, Piers leaned into the next pass of his Psychic-type’s tentacle, now tucking under his bangs and around his forehead. 

The touch of soft psychic energy left simple feelings in his mind. _Warmth. Howling winds. A sandstorm?_ _Short ivory fangs…_ And then it was gone. 

“...!!!” Piers was frowning hard as his face got redder than a Tamato berry. “Not this again…!” 

“Scrafty! Af-af-af!” The shortest Pokemon on the team clapped his little hands. He nodded playfully and growled again. 

“Raihan doesn’t fancy me! He just wants t’be friends! Said so himself...” He blushed more as Obstagoon made a grumble that sounded like a probing question. “Oh leave it be... I’ve got no chance at all with a bloke like that...besides. He's like that with everyone.” 

“Ssskun skun…?” Skuntank nuzzled Piers’ side questioningly. Piers knew that's where the small slip of paper was in the pouch on his belt. 

"No. I'm not textin'."

"Gooon." Obstagoon nuzzled his snout into Pier's free hand. He was rewarded with head pats.

"No."

"Goooooooon."

"No!"

"Obb STAAA!"

* * *

“-on thE GALAR HURRICANE!??!?” Leon began to laugh hysterically over the phone. “The poor man must be mortified!”

“Look. He didn’t run off! We actually had a great talk! I got a bloody selfie with him! That ought to count for something!” Raihan held his face in one hand and his Rotom Phone in the other. He was sitting with Duraludon under a large tree in the park. 

“Mate, that was such a cock-up!”

“I KNOW. I...I know.” 

“I suppose the only way to know if you’ve not _failed so epically_ is to see if he ever texts you.” 

“Yeah…” Raihan sounded so defeated.

“Rai…? Ugh, I’m sorry mate. That was unkind of me.” 

“No no. I was a right fool.”

“I didn’t mean to- Don’t lose heart. You are rather skilled at making friends, Raihan. I do actually hope that it worked in the end.”

“Thanks.”

“How’s this sound! Let’s meet up at Picadilly street, right now with Nessa and Milo! I know a great new café we can try.”

“It's 2 now. You sure you can make it there before sundown…?” Raihan joked.

“...maybe I’ll ask Nessa to lead us, you git!” Leon still laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crunch: The user crunches up the target with sharp fangs. This may also lower the target's Defense stat.


	5. Foul Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan finds himself rapidly growing fonder of Piers. The Kids want to hang out with Marnie's cool big brother.

Leon, with the help of Milo, had made it there on time. Nessa was early and had secured a private room for them. Leon had been wrong in calling this place a cafe. It was a large teahouse; Nessa lightly teased him about making that mistake. Now, they were four very famous people sitting together for a proper pokemon-themed afternoon tea. A little early in the afternoon for it, but no one was complaining. 

“Did you really? That’s splendid!” Milo smiled, causing several crumbs to fall from the corner of his mouth. He was onto his third Happiny scone by now. 

“I mean the proof is in the selfie,” Raihan answered with a charismatic smile. He took another sip of his tea with lemon. “We had fun.”

“Raihan, _you_ look like you had fun. _Piers_ looks...” Nessa searched for the right words. She was looking at the selfie of Piers and Raihan on her own phone. The dragon-master had an open smile to show off his fangs paired with lidded eyes. Piers had a tired frown on his face. “He looks miffed at best.”

“I think he just looks tired,” suggested Leon as he looked over the photo with Nessa. 

“No no. That’s makeup.”

“Oh. Even so... How long did you let him bake in the sun, Rai? He looks flushed in this one.”

“Raihan, I believe you,” Milo took a sip of his own cream tea to wash down the scone. “He wouldn’t be in a selfie at all if he didn’t want to be.”

“Thank you.” Raihan stated, purposefully ignoring Leon’s comment. “So. Now all I can do is wait...”

“I wouldn’t worry if it takes him a while though. He could be b-”

Raihan felt a buzz in his pocket. Rotom floated up.

“Texxxt! From unknownnn number!”

Everyone turned slowly. In seconds, the tallest of them was surrounded by the others after they had shot up out of their chairs.

“Can I help you three?” The dragon master smirked at them from over his shoulder. 

**???: this is piers**

“What are you going to say?” Leon inquired.

“How about ‘hey’ for a start?” 

**Raihan: hey!**

The three nodded. They continued to snoop over his shoulders. Raihan spared no time in adding Piers as a new contact.

**Piers: - - -**

“Hey he’s still typing-”

“Shh!”

**Piers: could I ask you something?**

**Raihan: sure! fire away!**

“Ooooh? A Question?”

“Shut it!”

**Piers: you said you like the Hammerlocke Vault. Is there a copy of the Codex of Spykemvth there?**

“I’ll pass on the geeky stuff, thanks.” Nessa went to sit back down. Eventually, so did Milo and Leon. They went on with their conversation, which Raihan was engaging in. But he also was excited to answer the question. Some would say a little too excited. Something about engaging with one of his own major passions was making him feel bubbly on the inside.

**Raihan: yes**

**Piers: you ever read it?**

**Raihan: at least 5 times :)**

**Piers: huh. Favorite story?**

**Raihan: can’t i pick all of them???**

**Piers: pick one**

**Raihan: ...i might have to think about that**

**Piers: no rush**

Raihan smirked and then had more of his tea. Another small victory for the Great Raihan.

* * *

“!!!...th’ fuck?” Piers sat up from his cozy spot snuggled in the middle of his Pokemon. “When d’d i…?” He didn’t remember falling asleep. But it made perfect sense. He had nothing to eat recently. Then he worked up just enough courage to text his crush of 8+ years... Then he KEPT texting, wanting to scream and flounder in gay panic each time! At some point he passed out for 3 hours. Now his shoulder felt sore. 

The thing that woke him up was someone knocking at the door to his hotel room. He got up when he realized the knocking wouldn’t stop until he answered it. He didn’t bother looking through the tiny porthole on the door as he moved just enough of his hair away from his left eye. He cracked open the door. "Wha."

"PIERS!" Hop and Gloria forced their way through the door and into the room. They were then followed by Marnie and Morpeko. Marnie giggled at her brother. His thick hair was let down and all helter-skelter. The one eye she could see had shot open in shock.

"Did yer mum never tell ya 'bout privacy?!?"

"Blimey! You've totally trashed the place, man! I like it!" Hop exclaimed, seeming to not answer the question at hand. "It's like a big nest!" 

"We were wondering what you were up to!" Gloria beamed. "Oh, your team is out of their pokeballs! Hey," she waved at them as they began to awaken from the sudden noise.

"Sorry..." Marnie was still giggling a bit.

"No, yer not. I can't believe you lot..." He calmed down as he began fixing his hair. 

"So! We wanted to know if you would go out with us!" Hop crossed his arms behind his head.

"...I told 'em you could take us to Seviper's." Marnie looked up at Piers.

"Seviper's?"

"Mor-pe-kooo!!" Morpeko waved excitedly with both front paws. 

"Yeah! Would you mind?" asked Gloria. "I've never had 5-alarm curry before..." She looked bashful at admitting that.

The Penumbra family took their curry very seriously. It was a thing of pride that they could handle the hottest dishes known to pokemon and man. Piers could hold his own when eating Hoenn-style Hot Pot. He and Marnie didn't break a sweat while tucking into a platter of Unovan Tamato-Poppers. Sinnoh's Tanga-Powder Sauce over rice was merely child's play. So naturally, Piers coveted the knowledge that a small, run-down pub on the dodgy side of Wyndon had some of the hottest curry he'd ever had. Their late aunt had brought him there for his first 5-alarm curry, and later Piers had brought Marnie as a rite of passage. 

Piers considered all of the facts: For a start, he was tired as all fuck. That nap was anything but rejuvenating! He was also rather annoyed that they just burst through his door. Now they were petting his pokemon without asking, how rude. But he did just risk everything for them last night. And he already felt his Mum #2 instincts kicking in... Maybe trying some more new things today wouldn't be so bad? Maybe he really did have that heat stroke after all and had gone completely mad. 

" *sighhhh* not like that..." Piers grumbled. 

"Huh?"

"Can't have ya goin' to a fine establishment like that, lookin' the way y'do...yer gonna need some leather jackets..." He walked over to his suitcase. "And I think I'll change inta somethin' else."

* * *

“What do you think, Marnie?!” Gloria spun around. She had on one of Piers’ spare jackets. This one was black leather with the cuffs rolled up to the elbow. The buttons were magenta skulls. "Pretty cool, right?"

“You...look fine, I guess…” Marnie replied.

“How about me?!” Hop smiled wide as he flexed in a maroon jacket with black trim. 

“...” She just nodded. 

“Mor morrr!” Morpeko had on their own little studded leather jacket. Gloria and Hop took pictures of Morpeko and fawned over how cute they looked. 

“-alright. Let’s go before I change my mind.” Piers walked out of the hotel bathroom. His hair was tamed into one chunky braid. He had changed out of his gym leader uniform and replaced it with black skinny jeans, sleek magenta heeled boots, a white tank, and a magenta leather jacket with spike-lined black leather on the shoulders. He still wore his signature choker and his pokemon-trainer belt. To complete the look, he had added more eyeliner than usual. 

“Wicked! Can we have some eyeliner too?”

“No.”

It wasn’t quite like herding Wooloo. Instead, it was like when Piers used to run freely into the night with Linoone. But now, Piers was walking and the runts were doing all of the running. Just like Linoone, they would call him over or race back to show him something they had spotted ahead. At least Hop couldn’t race off without them entirely; only Piers remembered how to get there.

“Yeesh. That sign’s seen better days…” Hop winced as they approached the pub. The sign in question flickered the title “Seviper’s” written in a darker purple neon. The first S looked like a stylized Seviper tail. With how battered it was and with all the flickering, it sometimes looked like it just said “Svips”...

“Is it safe here?” Gloria looked a little nervous. This neighborhood was dodgy. The buildings around them were in disrepair or boarded up entirely. Some of the street lamps had blown out and were not replaced. Several poison-type and dark-type pokemon had been watching them from a window or from inside a nearby dumpster. The adult among them sighed. He couldn't blame Gloria for being nervous. She was raised in the quiet countryside of Postwick. Arceus knows how it took him a whole year to warm up to Spikemuth after leaving those verdant hills behind... Marnie didn't remember Postwick, but he did. 

“See ‘em over there?” Piers vaguely gestured to said pokemon in the dumpster. “If they flock t’ what’s left over, that’s how y’know the curry is bang-on.” He broke his dark facade with a little smile. "Plus you'll blend right in." It was a lie of course, but he didn't want her to be scared. 

"Let's go in before Morpeko gets hungry..." Marnie started to walk forward. 

"Yeah!" Hop charged ahead.

They entered, and were met with the sight of many punk-rockers and bikers. There were edgy haircuts, tons of tattoos, and piercings galore. Some people turned from the bar or their booth to stare at them. 

"TABLE FER FOUR!" Piers hollered. The three kids jumped at his sudden shouting. 

"Who's askin'?!" The bartender looked across the way with a scowl. She had a short, electric yellow mohawk and a nose ring. Like almost everyone in there, she wore black. 

"PENUMBRA, THAT'S WHO!"

"...Piers, you mad bastard! Take any booth you like!" She instantly smiled and went back to preparing drinks.

"Woah, you're famous around here, aren't you." Hop said.

"I'm regular-famous, you nutter..."

"Oh. Oh yeah..."

"Honestly..." Piers let out a heavy sigh. They took a booth close to the back left. After the kids were situated, their guardian approached the counter to place their order. 

* * *

Raihan was at the Gym Leader Dinner tonight. They went to a different restaurant together every year at the end of the season: this year was “Altaria’s Roost”. It was a glitzy outdoor patio with dazzling stringed lights and white silk drapery. They each wore something more formal and shared a nice meal. Obviously, they needed a separate place to dine. Having so many famous people in one place, again, had to be handled carefully for the sake of the establishment. Fans could get very rowdy. 

They all were sitting around a table that could seat eight. There were only seven of them there. Usually, this wouldn’t bother Raihan at all. He wasn’t about to force Piers to go if he didn’t want to. He hadn’t forced it since his very first season in the majors. The Hammerlocke native was guilty of having little patience with that. He would rather people be there if they wanted to be, and to bugger off if they didn’t. But this time, he found himself missing Piers. 

“Lord Scayle, what seems to be holding your attention so strongly?” Opal asked from the other end of the table. She had the odd habit of calling her colleagues Lords & Ladies… No one knew why.

“What?”

“I have just inquired about the state of the gym-trainers in your program…?” She took another sip of her red wine.

“Oh, they’re great! Working hard and holding down the fort while I’m away.” He grinned politely. “Sorry for not hearing you ask the first time.”

“That is nice. However, it seems you are having a _battle of conscience_ , dear boy.”

“What do y-”

“Ah ah! Do not deny it. I am rather keen on detecting such things.” She smiled again. Some days, he wished that Opal was less observant in her old age... 

“It’s not really-”

“Fear not, Lord Scayle. I will not pry if you have no desire to speak of it…” 

“Thanks.” 

“I’ll pry.” Gordie put down his fork. “Raihan, you look down. You okay?”

“I was thinking, did Piers want to be here this time?"

"I thought you said he texted you no?"

"Well yes, but..." It was true. Raihan had asked him twice over text. Piers had declined. He said he was treating his sister and her friends to dinner somewhere else. Raihan thought that was really sweet and all. But there was still this small bit of doubt that he couldn't shake off. Piers had an excuse for every year. Maybe he was all alone this time, and lying to keep him from worrying? That seemed like something the singer might do. 

"It's ok, bro. I'm sure he's doing fine with his little sis."

"Yeah. You're probably right..."

"Rai," Nessa interrupted. "If you check Gloria's PokeGram, you would know he's telling the truth."

"Hm?" He took out his phone. 

**Glory013: 10/10 for the Charizard-class curry, but 2000/10 for great friends to share it with!!! :D**

There was a series of pictures connected to the post. The first was a radioactive-hot plate of Spicy Sausage Curry. The next was Gloria and Hop with burning red faces and tears forming in their eyes from the heat. The third was a group picture of the four humans and one pokemon in the booth. The fourth was a shot of Marnie cleaning off Morpeko's face after it gobbled up two whole bowls. And the last was a candid shot of Piers leaning against a beatup jukebox, looking content with a fruity mixed drink in hand. 

Raihan had only two thoughts at that moment. Everything else in his mind had packed up and left for a good 10 minutes: 

Thought #1: _I remember that pub..._

Thought #2: _How fast can I get there?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Foul Play: The user turns the target's power against it. The higher the target's Attack stat, the greater the move's power.
> 
> Piers' new outfit in this chapter is shamelessly inspired by Mettaton from Undertale. I thought it would look nice ;)  
> Also its my hc that Piers and Marnie used to live in Postwick, but moved to Spikemuth when their aunt took them in. Marnie was 1, so she never remembered that. But that's how Piers knew Sonia and Leon.


	6. Throat Chop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flash back included: After catching up with Piers yet again, Raihan is left speechless. He has a lot on his mind as he walks back to the hotel...

The soon-to-be former gym leader of Spikemuth went to the counter again. The runts wanted dessert. He was surprised they could eat so much. 

“-thanks Sheena. And I’d like another Spikemuth Sunrise, please.”

“Sure thing.” She put in the order to the short-order cook in the back. The electric-yellow haired woman began making Piers his drink when the door opened. More people were looking this time. “And what will you be havin’, _Pretty Boy…?_ ” Sheena asked the new customer sarcastically.

“I’ll have whatever this one is having.” 

“!!!” Piers turned and saw Raihan standing next to him. He was wearing a navy blue suit, black shirt, and a gold tie. _Oh for fUCK'S SAKE!!!!_

“Hey! Fancy meeting you here?” _I think my knees might give out..._

“R-raihan?” 

“Piers. Is this bloke botherin’ ya?” Some of the bikers had wandered over their way. The one they called Spike was staring into Raihan’s soul, it seemed. Raihan smiled back at Spike nervously.

“NO. No, he’s...with me.” Piers sighed after the other guys relaxed and walked back to their end of the bar counter. 

“...thanks, mate. So. What did you order exactly?”

“...s-Spikemuth Sunrise.”

“Oh. Got it...wait, what is that?”

Piers gained control of himself as he explained. A Spikemuth Sunrise was one part Colbur-vodka to two parts Haban-juice. Then there was a final splash of pink-colored sweet syrup. 

The two were given their matching drinks. Piers immediately began to drink it. He was suddenly very thirsty...Raihan brought the glass to his lips cautiously. Haban berries were usually bitter, but if they had been cooked and cooled again, then the juice would be sweet. After having a taste, his eyes went wide. This was sweet and sour. And he loved it. 

“This. Is so. Good!”

“Glad ya like it…” Again Piers brought a hand up to fiddle with his choker. “So...how d’you know this place?”

“Uh. A late friend had brought me once.”

“Oh…” 

“Um…” Raihan picked up that Piers was clamming up. So he switched topics. “I chose a favorite story. From before?” 

“Oh. Which one, then?”

“ _The Archer’s Gambit_ _._ ” 

“Funny. I pegged ya fer a _Battle of Circhester Bay_ kinda man…” 

“Did you really…” Raihan grinned perhaps just a bit too playfully. The fangs made another appearance. Piers did gulp. 

  
  


The dessert was eventually brought to the table. It was a basket of doughnut holes with heated chocolate sauce. This was a run-down pub, but they were not about to skimp on the sweets. 

Hop tried to wave the two men over, but Marnie caught his arm.

“Don’t,” she whispered. 

“Why not?” Hop whispered back. 

“Piers looks. Happy.” 

“But he’s frowning.” 

“No. He’s standin’ taller, look.” Marnie got the other two to slowly turn to look at them. She seemed to be right. He was leaning against the counter, but his shoulders were no longer slumped forward. “He only does that while singin’.”

“Wait. Do you think that Piers like-likes Raihan?” Gloria joined the whispering.

“He must, if he saw the dessert an’ didn’t come t’get some. He never skips dessert...”

“Really…?” 

“Raihan looks happy too, I think.” Added Hop. “They look cute together.”

“Wait, Marnie…?”

“I’m takin’ a picture…” Marnie slowly took her phone out, made sure the sound and flash were off, and snuck a quick picture of the two. 

  
  


Eventually, the three teens and one sleepy Morpeko pestered Piers to take them back to the hotel. He paid his bill and they were off. Raihan found he couldn't say goodnight at all. All he could do was wave as Piers was dragged out. And Piers smiled back. _Wow... A smile really suits him..._

Raihan ordered a much stronger drink and drank it far too fast. He paid quickly after that and left. Then he took the long way back to the hotel. Tonight, he had a lot on his mind…

* * *

_Raihan Dorian Scayle was 6._

_His family was comfortable. That was the kind of thing a well-to-do family in Hammerlocke would say about their lifestyle. ‘They were comfortable.’ The Scayle family was loaded. Daddy was a lawyer. Mummy was a cultural attaché for one of the Kalosian Ambassadors. Raihan was an only child. You can see the problem here, right?_

_The little boy saw his nanny, the cook, and the gardener far more than he would ever see his parents. It was a strange disconnect. His parents spoiled him with gifts, but then again he barely saw them. They held parties at the house, but he wasn't allowed to attend most of them. Even while on holiday, they were always taking calls and conducting business, leaving him to look after himself... He wasn’t sure if they really loved him. But he always knew nanny did._

_“I can't have my backed turned on you for even a minute, haha! What did you find today, Raihan?” Eudora, his nanny, shook her head with a laugh and a grin. The middle-aged woman from Turrfield crouched down to inspect what Raihan was holding._

_“Look! Look! A Goomy!”_

_“ACh!” She stumbled back as the Pokemon in his arms began to wiggle._

_“We’re gonna be best mates!” The boy hugged the Dragon-type pokemon close. Goomy cooed and nuzzled its slimy face against his new human friend. Eudora grimaced. How was she going to get Goomy-slime out of Raihan’s clothes?_

_"Goomy, you say?" Eudora softened. The little boy looked so happy. And his new friend Goomy looked rather harmless now that she had a better look at it. It was small and squishy. A little slimy, yes... But she decided from that moment on to just run double loads of laundry to keep up. "Would you like to have a picnic out here with Goomy? It's so nice outside!"_

_"YES PLEASE! Will you eat with us?"_

_"Of course!"_

  
  


_“Oh darling, we can’t have Goomy at the table with us…” His mother looked at the slimy creature with no small amount of disdain. “It’s filthy...”_

_“But Goomy is my friend!” Raihan pouted._

_“That is my ruling on it, Raihan. Put Goomy away and come eat, before your risotto gets cold?”_

_“I don’t like risotto…”_

_“Raihan, listen to your mother,” his father added without looking up from his plate. “Put it back into its pokeball…”_

_“N-no! If I can’t eat with Goomy...then. Then I’m not eating at all!” He ran off with Goomy in his arms. The boy sprinted up the steps to the second floor and slammed his door behind them. He put Goomy down on his bed. And little Raihan began to cry._

_“...goo-goomy?”_

_“They don't like you. But I like you. I want to eat with you because…you’re my friend...”_

_“Gooo!” Goomy slithered closer. Their eyes were wide and sparkling. He pet Goomy and giggled faintly through his tears._

_“You like that? Being my friend?”_

_”Gooomymyyy!” Goomy nodded excitedly._

_”Someday, we’ll have a whole bunch of friends!” The boy wiped more tears away with his sleeve. "And we won't have to eat yucky risotto..."_

* * *

_Raihan D. Scayle was 12._

_“Good show, Raihan! And well done, Vibrava!” Master Arach congratulated his star pupils once again after they had totally aced that benchmark test. Vibrava hovered back to the ground and let the sandstorm it caused to subside. Then Vibrava scuttled back to her trainer with happy chirps._

_Raihan had enrolled in Gym Leader Arach’s trainer program starting at age 10. Nanny Eudora had to move back to Turffield to care for her sick mother, so she convinced Mummy and Daddy that their spitfire of a son needed an outlet for his energy. And he was forever grateful for it. It was a proper challenge, but he loved training with his team! And it was compatible with his current schooling, so they were thrilled to have him attending both._

_“You were great, Vibrava!” The young boy crouched down and patted Vibrava on the head. Then he stood back up to address his approaching teacher. “Thank you, sir.” He bowed._

_“You two are improving so fast. I fear I may run out of things to teach you, hahaha!” This ex-military gentleman laughed._

_“Never. You know way too much to run out.” Raihan beamed._

_“I know this may seem silly, coming from an old Drampa such as myself...” Master Arach looked a bit bashful. “At this rate, well. I could see you taking over the gym...”_

_“...rEALLY?!” The boy’s eyes lit up._

_“...would I joke about my gym, boy?”_

_“I guess not...but, sir? What if I become champion? Who would take over then?” That was one of his great goals: become the best damn trainer in all of Galar. He had the work ethic and energy for it, that was certain. It was all he and his new friends Leon and Sonia from Postwick were ever talking about! Participating in the Galar League’s Gym Challenge._

_“Well, then Galar would have one smashing champion! Even so, if you make it to the Semi-Finals by besting me...? The position would be yours before anyone else.” He rustled the boy’s hair. “Now off you pop! You shouldn’t be late for supper!”_

  
  


_Raihan returned to a cold, quiet house yet again. This time his parents were out at some stupid charity ball._ _The house staff had left for the night, but their personal chef Mrs. Plath had left special food for the young master & his friends in the refrigerator. She had also left behind a note:_

**_Young Master Raihan,_ **

**_Your parents have told me they cannot attend your Spring Showcase. Would it be alright if I went to cheer you on instead?_ **

**_-Mrs. Plath_ **

**_P.S. - I left a little surprise behind the flour canister._**

_He smiled. At least someone wanted to watch him show off all he’d learned this year... Now curious, he went to the large pantry and moved aside the flour. His eye lit up as he inspected the small package that was hidden._

_"Wow! Poffins!?!" He got so excited, he took the treats and the glass bakeware to his room. Then, he had a lovely dinner with Sligoo, Vibrava, and Silicobra. He read to them about things he had learned in history class. That boy read through history and folklore texts like a wood chipper made short work of a fallen tree!_

* * *

_Raihan (or Rai for short) was 15._

_“No way! They really have a train where they ASK you to battle on it?” A teenage Leon asked between mouthfuls of curry. “Wicked…”_

_Lee, Sony, and Rai were out camping again. Even though Sonia had been beaten back in Motostoke, she still wanted to travel across Galar with her two best mates. The two boys wouldn’t have it any other way. She was the coolest!_ _They would begin their trek to Circhester tomorrow. Tonight they would enjoy the warmer weather as they sat around the fire that Charmeleon had started for them._

_Raihan was really enjoying this whole ‘found family’ thing. For a start, no one could force him to eat bland Kalosian foods; he wanted his food spicy, sour, or super sweet. And his friends thought he looked cool in his athletic clothes. He hated khakis and boring suits, they were so bland! He wanted to be colorful and to stand out. He felt he could be himself out in the big wide world._

_“They call it the Battle Subway,” answered Raihan nonchalantly. "It was pretty wicked, mate."_

_“What was your favorite place in Unova, Rai?” Sonia asked as she shared some of her leftover food with Yamper and Eevee._

_“Hm...I liked the whole region.” Raihan leaned back against Silicobra’s coils while putting both arms behind his head. The Ground-type Pokemon nuzzled its chin on his trainer’s head. “I’ve got a favorite city, but also a favorite site.”_

_“Nerd!” Leon chimed in. “I knew you’d like a history-nerd place, too.”_

_“Yeah yeah… my favorite city was Nimbasa City. They had tons of sports matches, a musical theater, the Battle Subway of course, and even a ferris wheel just like in Wyndon!”_

_“Blimey…”_

_“Yeah. It was great fun,” he grinned. “But I think the absolute best place was when we- or I guess I- went with my Pokemon to see the Relic Castle.”_

_“What’s that?” Sonia tilted her head to the side._

_“It’s these ruins out in the desert! Experts say that the civilization that lived there was trade partners with the ancient people of Stow-on-Side. 2,500 years ago. They have proper evidence of it.”_

_“Wooooah…” Both of his friends were slack-jawed._

_“The place was beautiful,” He sat up to pass around his phone so they could see the pictures he took. “It’s all desert now. But I know for a fact this one was chuffed to see sand again!” Raihan gave Silicobra some chin-scritches._

_“I bet!” Sonia laughed. “...wow. These’re stunning!”_

_“How’d you figure this all out?” Leon inquired playfully._

_“I read about it,” their friend replied. “...at the Vault.”_

_“Next thing they'll have a bedroom for you in there, haha!” Leon chuckled at his own joking._

_“Ugh, I wish!"_

_"Mate...? Why do you look down?"_

_"It was a shame though. That trip. I wish you both were there to see it with me…”_

_“Well,” Sonia began. “We’re seeing Galar together now, aren’t we?”_

_“Yeah. It’s the best!”_

  
  


_Over his childhood, the Scayles had gone on holiday to Kalos, Unova, Sinnoh, and Alola. His parents preferred Kalos for stuffy grown-up reasons. Raihan much preferred Unova if he wasn’t allowed to pick Galar as his favorite place in the world. Galar was where Lee and Sony were. Galar was where Master Arach was. Someday, Galar would be where his parents weren’t…_

_Galar was his favorite place by far._

* * *

_The Great Raihan was 21._

_Raihan had been Hammerlocke’s gym leader for some time now. It wasn’t all sunshine and Roselias. He had some brutal losses mixed in with those brilliant wins. Exhibition matches were a bitch sometimes. His newest habit was to take a selfie of every loss and every triumph. That way, he wouldn’t forget how far he had come._

_Right now, he was in the locker rooms of Wyndon Stadium looking through his new phone at some of those pictures. He smiled at the one he got of Opal that made her look like a spooked pidove. And the one with Milo, where he got the Turffield native to make a ducklett-face while making a peace sign._

_“RAIHAAAN!!!” He had no time to duck out of the way as a very big, very muscular woman scooped him up in a bone-crushing hug._

_“H-hey!” He managed to squeak. The dragon-type master swore his ribs were going to snap like matchsticks._

_“Oof. Sorry!” Gym Leader Moira of Spikemuth lowered him back to the ground. She brushed some of her toxic-pink hair behind her ear. “What a match! That ‘W’ was well-earned!” Despite having just lost to him, she wore a grin wider than a Sharpedo._

_“Thanks! Just doing my best, as always,” he grinned. Then he looked at her confused. “But...aren’t you gutted?”_

_“No! I feel grand! That was a right good battle! I’m starved, care fer some nosh, luvvie?”_

_“Oh, you don’t have to…” He blushed a bit. When Melony and Moira were both Gym Leaders, they would sometimes treat the others to food after a match. It always cheered Raihan up. Some days he wished either of those two lovely women had been his mother instead._

_“I mean it, Rai! My treat!”_

_“But- Y- Oh alright.” He smiled. “And I was going to ask. Could I get a selfie with you?”_

_“Of course!”_

_He took a selfie with her. They looked wicked, like punk rockers with their tongues out and everything. Then they walked out of the stadium and towards the best pub in Wyndon: a place called Seviper’s. Raihan knew it was the best because it was the dodgiest place in the city. But there was good_ _music, great company, and the best fucking curry he ever ate in his life!_

  
  


_But that was Friday at 7PM. This was Sunday at 5AM._

_His phone buzzed on the side table of his hotel room. He didn’t have to get up to leave for Hammerlocke until 7? Maybe more like 9:45. So he was more than miffed that someone was trying to wake the great Raihan from his slumber at the arse-crack of dawn._

_“What.” He grumbled._

_“H-hello, is this a M-mr. Raihan Scayle?”_

_“Yes. What d’you want.”_

_“S-sir, I’m Ranger Dantell from W-white Hill Station. Um...I’m very sorry to bother you…”_

_“Oh." Raihan stopped being sour. "How can I help you?"_

_“Th-there’s...been a terrible accident.”_

_His phone hit the floor._

* * *

  
  


_Raihan is 28._

_Raihan had a lot to be grateful for._

_He was given the best education imaginable. He was free to follow his passions. He had become powerful, famous, and so very sexy… And he was thriving in Hammerlocke._

_When ‘mummy and daddy’ had fucked off to that sprawling villa in Kalos when he was 18, they left the original house to him. Their reasoning was that their darling boy had become the gym leader. They wanted him to inherit the house, but they weren't going to stay._ _He sold the house that following month and got himself a simple townhouse near the stadium. He didn’t really miss them or the house at all. He was too high on that ‘found family’ shite to care._

_He had the other Gym Leaders. He had Leon and Sonia. For now, he still had Master Arach (knock on wood). And he had his three pupils: Camilla, Sebastian, and Aria._

_Now, he got to test any challengers strong enough to face his Gym Mission in Hammerlocke. Anyone that made it past Piers, that is..._

* * *

Raihan looked through his text messages before falling asleep. He knew he needed to sleep now if he were to avoid any unflattering dark circles under his eyes. But he couldn't get himself to sleep just yet.

Spending time with friends was very important to him, especially if it was while sharing food. And he had been grappling with the fact that he had ditched the gym leader dinner tonight. He looked forward to it every year! But he bolted the moment he knew where Piers was. He looked at the most recent texts between them again:

**Raihan: so whats ur fave story from the codex?**

**Piers: i dont know**

**Raihan: come on! i had 2 choose, ur turn! ;)**

**Piers: i guess its The Absol and The Boy?**

**Raihan: awww how sweet!**

He went to sleep with a smile. Maybe he could see Piers tomorrow at the festival. After the Champion Match.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throat Chop: The user attacks the target's throat, and the resultant suffering prevents the target from using moves that emit sound for two turns.
> 
> Here's the Raihan flashback, just as promised! I thought Throat Chop would be a good move to parallel Piers' flashback in the chapter named Snarl, a sound-based move.


	7. Dark Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn for the worst as The Darkest Day disrupts the Champion Match. Raihan rushes to save his city, while Piers tries to figure out a way to get to Hammerlocke in time.

Piers woke up early. Yet another change that might as well just happen to him. He was thinking about all of yesterday. It had been bittersweet. In just one day he had gotten to see so much of Raihan. It had been so nice to talk with him! But then there was reality he had to face.

”I have no chance...” He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. “Raihan will never feel th' same..." He rubbed away the remainder of his tears and got to work erasing the evidence. Midnight Blush and Charcoal. 

He wore the gym leader uniform once again, if only to not draw unwanted attention to himself while in the stadium. If he suddenly went in with civilian clothes, that would be inviting reporters to ask why. He had made that mistake before. His phone began to buzz on the bathroom countertop. The screen read: **Sony**. He answered the text; he really needed to hear something good right now. Hopefully Sonia was in high spirits. 

**Sony: PIERSYYY! You would never believe what has happened!!!**

**Piersy: i suppose you’ll tell me?**

He chuckled. This was a good start. 

**Sony: Gran has handed the Baton to ME!! I'm a full-blown researcher!! Can you believe it!!?!?!? <3**

**Piersy: wow! Well done you!**

**Sony: Ooooh she gave me her coat and everything!!! It’s like I'm living in a dream, Piersy!**

**Piersy: i can imagine. well. I have to find a gift fitting for this rockin occasion :)**

**Sony: Oh, you make me blush… (0///_///0)**

"Hmm." Piers thought about whether or not to pry. There was something Sonia had mentioned last time. "...why not."

**Piersy: and how are things on the War Front…?**

**Sony: PIERSYYY WHY WOULD YOU WRECK MY LOVELY MOOOD!!!!**

**Piersy: that bad?**

**Sony: OH! I am FUMING, I tell you! At this rate, he’ll NEVER ask… >:(**

**Piersy: you like Leon, he likes you. Can’t you ask? This is the 21st century, Sony**

**Sony: askdfjbsjahbhskkahss**

**Sony: maybe...I want him to ask first…**

Piers groaned. Those two likely had fancied each other for almost a decade now. At this rate, he wanted them to say their vows and be done with the games already. At least their attraction was mutual...

He packed up his things and snagged a breakfast muffin on the way out. Marnie just texted asking if he was ready yet. He didn’t want to be late for the Champion Match. 

* * *

Gloria walked out onto the pitch. Raihan took a picture of the two when she reached Leon. He was secretly itching for Leon to get his arse handed to him today. His rival had it coming! They both looked so fired up and determined. Then they took their 30 paces, turned to face one another-

**WAIT- HOLD ON!**

The Announcer’s voice boomed. The audience gasped and murmured at the sudden disturbance. Raihan snapped his attention away from his phone.

**HEY! LOOK AT THE MONITOR!**

**WHAT IS THAT ON THE BIG SCREEN…?**

Everyone’s eyes turned to the huge screen. He could see Lee and Gloria look up as well. A video of Chairman Rose faded into view on the display. Some people calmed at that. There were some years that the Chairman would say a few words of good luck before the match. However, it was usually when he was there in person…

**“Hello there, Leon and Gloria! Just letting you know…”**

Raihan felt uneasy. The Chairman was smiling, but something was off. Was he sending this from inside the Energy Plant? Why?

**“I think it’s time I brought back the Darkest Day. For the sake of Galar’s future, of course!”**

What.

**“But I’m in a bit of a pickle. The energy released by the Darkest Day is too much for us to contain.”**

The Energy Plant behind him was crackling with a dark red-purple energy, looking like it was about to go into overdrive! 

Then the rumbling began. The stadium shook more and more violently. People started to scream. The shaking stopped only when a beam of energy shot through the ground! Then, several other stadiums came into view on the screen. One of them, which he had to assume was the center of all of this...was Hammerlocke Stadium.

**“I’m sorry it’s come to this. But it’s you who forced my hand, Leon. You refused to listen!”**

Raihan was frozen in fear for a moment. Only a moment. The anger pushed through fast enough. He bolted for the stairs closest to where the two opponents had taken shelter. He was going to find Leon. That Directionless Champion wasn’t getting lost on their way to Hammerlocke.

Not this time. 

* * *

Piers’ first instinct was to shield Marnie. He wrapped around her and left his back exposed to the beam of light. When it looked like it wasn’t actually going to hit them, he let go. The two siblings stared up at the pillar of dynamax energy. 

“ _Well this is fuckin’ grand,_ ” Piers groaned as the sky grew darker by the moment. 

“...what do we do?” Marnie asked.

“...ya can order 'round Team Yell.”

“You don’t mean me…” She would have blushed more if the world wasn’t about to fall down around them. 

“I do.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Get them t' help. They'll keep ya safe.”

“Wait. Where’re you goin’ off to, then?” 

“...i’m goin’ to Hammerlocke...” And he grimaced, anticipating Marnie's disapproval.

“ _Yer dead from th’ neck up, Piers,_ ” Marnie hissed.

"Am not. They need all th' help they can get, an' I won't have ya in danger."

"Neither should you..."

"I'm not askin'," he let go of Marnie's shoulder. "ALRIGHT YOU LOT!" He began addressing the members of Team Yell. "YER GONNA LOOK AFTER OUR DARLIN' GIRL! DO WHAT SHE SAYS, I'LL BE BACK SOON ENOUGH!" 

* * *

  
  


“Let’s get a move on, Lee!” Raihan dragged Leon behind him as they raced through the streets to find a safe place for take-off. 

“I can manage without you trying to rip my arm out of its socket!” Leon shouted.

“Is that right?! Mister ‘I didn’t know I’d flown past Turffield until Charizard was stuck in the vines of Glimwood Tangle’?!??”

“THAT WAS ONE TIME!”

“Just keep up!” Raihan saw an open park area, and jerked Leon towards it. With proper room, they summoned Charizard and Flygon. Raihan was up on the Dragon-type’s back in an instant. “Easy.” He patted Flygon’s side. Her head jerked around, getting startled by the darkness and mania that surrounded them. 

“Look sharp, Charizard!” Leon likewise got onto his mount. 

“Charizard, follow us.” Raihan replaced his headband for his “Fly-goggles”. They were goggles designed like Flygon eyes for high-speed flight, and had a built-in calling function. He tossed a spare set to Leon, who put them on over his favorite cap. 

Flygon began to beat her wings rapidly. She shot up into the air and started her mad dash for Hammerlocke. Charizard gave chase. 

* * *

This was the stuff of his nightmares. 

Piers pushed himself to keep moving, keep walking. He knew Team Yell could handle watching Marnie. But he saw the chaos outside. The whole sky was turning black. He could see his breath with each exhale. It had already gotten so cold near the beam of Dynamax energy. People were running and screaming. Pokemon were fleeing.

It reminded him of the moral of his favorite story: **"Don't fear the Absol, fear the Storm."** And he knew for a fact that what was happening now was just warning waves compared to the terrible storm heading Galar's way real soon. 

_I can’t get there in time... I can't take the train. All the Flying Taxis will be taken by now. I've got no way to get there, unless... Oh you really are stupid, Piers. Colbur..._

Colbur was his aunt's Noivern. The Noivern that listened to no one, let alone Piers? _That Noivern._ Aunty had been feeling cheeky when she named her. And now, he estimated he had less than 20 minutes to tame her if he wanted any chance at making it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dark Void: Opposing Pokémon are dragged into a world of total darkness that makes them sleep.
> 
> This is a considerably shorter chapter, but more is on the way soon!


	8. Fake Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan gets more help in order to reclaim his city from the Darkest Day. Piers must be honest with how he’s been feeling. And the battle is about to begin.

Piers found it easy to enter the Pokemon Center that was closest to the stadium. No one was there; people inside had long since joined the crowds of fleeing people. He didn't blame them for fleeing. That would keep them safe, in the long run. Who knows what would happen next. The familiar jingle played as the doors opened automatically. The poor Rotom that was inside the PC was none the wiser. When he approached, Rotom woke up and assisted him in getting a pokemon from his storage. He was handed an Ultra Ball. He placed it onto his belt. It looked strange to him to have 5 Dusk Balls and 1 Ultra Ball. 

_What was it that Raihan said about dragon types... There was something about emotions. Was it to cover them? Or show them? Shite, was it situational? Fuck, I can't remember. I was too preoccupied thinking about...nevermind that. Never gonna happen. So, what was it? There has to be something I didn't try yet._

The man from Spikemuth walked to the door, but he paused. 

_They won't miss a single Full Restore...if I leave the cash on the counter._

With the Ultra Ball and new Full Restore on his person, Piers tried to find a safe place to try this mad experiment out.

* * *

Raihan clicked a button on the side of his headset. He heard his Rotom Phone chirp through the headpiece. 

“Yezzzz?”

“Rotom: Call Aria.”

“Calling nowww!” Raihan waited as he heard a ringing tone play in his right ear. The phone wasn’t picked up. “Zzzzorry…”

“Alright then.”

Raihan had every confidence that his pupils were safe and working together with their pokemon. None of them would be in the stadium itself at the moment of impact. They were most likely either checking the stock of pokemon feed in Storage, or they had taken a break to watch the Champion Match in the break room. He was betting on the latter, given how starry-eyed they had been at mere mention of the Finals.

He hoped now that they were remembering their training. If they worked together with their pokemon, they could stay safe together. Funny. It made him think about that story Piers said was his favorite. 

**_The Absol and the Boy_ **

_(A Criminally Short Paraphrasing by Raihan's Mind)_

_There was a terrible storm approaching an ancient city. An Absol wanted to warn the people to get to safety. It found four people: A queen, a knight, a merchant, and a farm boy. The queen ordered her pokemon to attack Absol. The knight tried to fend off Absol himself with his sword. The merchant scared it away by banging pots and pans together. But the farm boy was kind. He gave Absol food and water, then ran off to safety with the Dark-type pokemon. They became trainer and pokemon partner, and wherever they went the boy was safe from disasters because of his life-long friend._

Raihan thought it was a really sweet story, despite all of the graphic depictions of destruction in the storm's wake. (Medieval Spikemuth really had a thing for highly-detailed destruction scenes.) He kept thinking about yesterday. The warmth of their conversations. The rush of ditching dinner. The sweetness of that drink. The curve of a smile on the singer's lips. That feeling when Piers belted that high note... It all made him wonder how much of that story influenced the way Piers caught and trained his team. The idea of him earning the trust of a Dark-type pokemon merely by offering it food and kindness?! That started to make his face all warm.

He felt so warm and bubbly for the time being. That helped tremendously, because it was absolutely frigid up here above Route 10. Any happy distraction on this flight was welcome. 

* * *

There was a section of safe space near the river. Right around where Raihan had stopped him to have a talk. He made sure he had several types of berries at hand, swore profusely, and took the Ultra Ball off of his belt. 

“Let this work…” Piers tossed the Ultra Ball in front of him. A rather large Noivern sprang out of the ball and stood in front of him; she was perhaps twice the size of a usual Noivern, standing in at around 8 feet tall. She saw it was him and turned away immediately. “Colbur. Please, I need your help.” 

“Noiiii…” Colbur sat on her haunches. 

“Come on.” Piers took out some berries and placed them on the ground ahead of him. He tried concealing emotions first as he kept that neutral look he'd practiced most of his life. Calm and kind, but with a hint of being aloof. "An' I brought ya food. If ya want."

“Noiii…” Colbur drew her tail close to her body. 

“Colbur…”

“...”

“ _Colbur, please._ ” He had tried it all. Flattery, bribery, intimidation, everything! She refused to budge. Nothing ever seemed to work! It grew harder to hide his emotions. “You need to listen.”

“...noi.”

“Colbur! PLEASE!” He yanked at his hair in frustration. Just like before, he was getting no where fast. 

“Noi noi...” 

“We were fine before. You an’ I got on fine! Don’t ya remember…?” The spindly man sank to his knees. "Don't ya remember me, Colbur? It's me, Piers. Moira's little boy." He swept the hair from his face. He knew she wouldn't look, but the man still hoped. "Girl...I used to feed ya Lum berries from my hands, an' ya took such tiny bites. You were so 'fraid of hurtin' me, ye?"

“...noiiii.”

"...ya used t'sniff my hair, an' lick my face. We flew together once. Colbur, ya know it's me..." Another pause. "How can I prove it?"

He was feeling rotten and useless. He’d never had problems around Moira’s other pokemon. He had gotten Krookodile, Weavile, Drapion, and Liepard to help him on occasion. Each had agreed to help in battle, but not often. Just when one of his core teammates was ill or tired. Even Mr. Mime still listened, he just wouldn’t battle and that was fine. Instead, Mr. Mime assisted with watching over the battling area itself. In a way, Mr. Mime became a cute mascot for the members of Team Yell. They all thought he was a cool pokemon, and often would tell him as much. 

He had really hoped that her Noivern would at least be friendly! She was so cool! He loved pokemon that could attack strongly with sound. No pokemon better than the Sound Wave pokemon that uses their ultrasonic soundwaves to see at night!

_Raihan said there was something about Noiverns and berries. I know that trick, and it hasn't worked. She won't so much as sniff anything that I try to offer her... And they're all different forms of ripeness. She just won't try._

There was no way to earn the dragon’s trust. Oh, he just wanted to cry! 

_Wait. Cry... She knew me when I still cried..._

“I really don’t want t’do this, y'know. But I’ve tried everythin’ else. Fuck it, I'll be honest 'bout it...” Piers shook his head in slight annoyance. He stayed down on his knees and made himself stare up at the sky. He was going to try that 'being open about your emotions' thing, and for that he needed to look up at the swirling darkness that made his heart skip a bit in fear. _“Colbur? I’m scared.”_

“...”

“I’m…” He felt the tears now as he forced himself to admit these things. He always felt so weak when he cried. “I’m scared. An’ I miss Aunty so much…I'm just like I was, just a scared little boy. Y'gotta rememeber that...how 'fraid I could be...”

“N-noi?”

“...I’m so s-sorry, girl. Oh Arceus, _I’m terrified…_ ” He began to shake a bit. More tears slid down his face. His throat felt like it was trying to close on itself. “...c-colbur? Please help me? I've got no other way...”

“Noiiii...vern?”

“...i-i’m so scared an' tired. A-all th’ time. Afraid I’ll be useless…of bein' weak. M-maybe I am.” 

“Vernnnn...”

“M-maybe my songs don't make anyone happy... _Maybe I can't help anyone at all..._ ” He started crying a little louder as he lowered his head into his hands. "All I can do is sing, girl. But it never feels like it's enough!"

“VERN.” He heard the large dragon-type bound up to him. She sniffed him a bit, then nudged her snout into his side. “NOI NOI NOI.” 

“It never feels enough, an' maybe I never will be.” He hated to say it out loud. It just made him feel so weak and small and useless and pathetic. He couldn't hold back his sobs this time, didn't even try. "...but I t-try anyway. L-like a fool." 

“VERRRRRNNN?!” Her piercing cry pushed a gust of air, blowing his hair to the side. She shoved him again. Colbur forced Piers to look at her. She looked him over once again, now suddenly acting like a fretful mother. She shoved her snout into his chest and huffed lightly. 

"Wait. You...?" 

"No-iiii." He felt a large warm tongue lick his face. He couldn't hold back a small laugh of relief. 

“...w-well fancy that. That’s all it took...? Just had ta trigger yer motherly instincts?” 

“...vern vernnnn.” She rubbed her whole face into him with a soft rumble. It sounded like a yes to him. Piers hugged her tight. He let himself stay like that for another minute or two. 

“Mum Colbur, y’drive a hard bargain.” He began to wipe away his tears, just to find his makeup streaking with it. “...oh.” He found a coat someone had dropped while running away and wiped all of it off. “Let’s get a move on.” 

The scene grew darker as Colbur the Noivern gained altitude. Piers at least remembered how to hold onto her neck scruff from when he was little. She soared above Wyndon and flew south. 

As they cleared Wyndon and began soaring over the snowy mountains of Route 10, Piers looked down. Boy was he glad to be up here, and not down there. Far below them, he could see random bursts of pokemon growing incredibly large, then shrinking back to normal. One of them, an Abomasnow, roared as the wind below them sped across the icy scene. A blizzard whipped up. 

“Noi-i-i-ivernnn.” She turned with the wind a bit to counter some turbulence. 

“Imagine if we were caught in that mess…” 

“Vernnnn… ~~~!!!!~~” Colbur sent out another soundwave to assess her surroundings.

_Let us get there in time. Please let us get there. I don't want to freeze my arse off and be dead before we land in Hammerlocke... That would be embarrassing to say the very least._

"Say, Colbur. You hate dynamax too?"

"Noinoivern." She seemed to dislike the word after it was uttered. The large Noivern flew a tick faster. 

"Of course ya do. No matter how many times I see it...yeeesh. It's awful..."

To spare them both the boredom, Piers kept talking. He told Colbur about his team. About Marnie. About the finals and all of the craziness. He even graced his re-established friend with a short story. 

**_The Archer's Gambit_ **

_(Only the Necessary Details by Piers' Mind)_

_There was once an archer that was part of a king's mounted archery unit. One day, he was sent on patrol, and he and his Galarian Rapidash were ambushed by an evil Hatterene. Rapidash was scared off, but the man was dragged back to Hatterene's lair. She thought he was just a very peculiar looking Morgrem, what with his long black hair and short stature, so she ordered him to be a minion along with the other Impidimp & Morgrem under her sway. He tried tirelessly for a fortnight to escape, but he just couldn't convince her of the error. So he tricked her: one night, he cut his lovely locks and fashioned a poppet from it. In the morning, he threw the "PokeDoll" ahead of him. She attacked the doll, giving him an opening to run away safely. (Scholars quote this as the first instance in Galar where a doll was used to escape an encounter with a wild pokemon.)_

"That was Raihan's favorite story from an old book full of stories. Not sure I understand why. There're plenty more stories he could like. Why that one?"

"Vernern?" 

"Hm. Yeah. Maybe I'll ask 'im."

* * *

“How many have you gotten?” Leon called to Raihan through his Fly-goggle set. Their voices were clear enough to understand each other, but there was that rush of wind that carried through the electronics.

“Almost everyone is on their way,” Raihan answered.

“Who’s left?”

“...Piers.” 

Raihan grew worried. He called the other gym leaders with his headset in hopes of getting everyone’s help in Hammerlocke. Milo, Nessa, and Gordie were on the first train to Hammerlocke, but in different cars. Kabu was riding on the back of his Arcanine, very quickly. Bea and her younger brother Allister secured a ride on a Flying Taxi together. Melony called him; she said she was already on her way from Circhester to help out any way that she could. Opal was flying in on her Togekiss. Piers wasn’t answering any of his calls. He was the first of the gym leaders he tried to contact. 

“I’m almost certain he is well and making his way to Hammerlocke.” 

“I don’t know, Lee.”

“He’s not one to leave friends in danger. He may seem scary sometimes, but I agree with Milo that he is a natural protector. One big brother recognizing another!” He smiled wide. 

“But what if he’s staying behind to protect his sister? We could really use his help on this one…”

“He will be there, Rai. Trust me.” There was a moment of silence between them. “We can do this. With all of the most powerful trainers and pokemon teams in Galar, we will defeat whatever it is the Chairman has unleashed."

"I've been meaning to ask... Why was he trying to blame you for this?"

"...he and I had a chat on Friday night. He kept insisting that a thousand years from now, Galar would face an energy crisis."

"And how would he know?"

"That's the thing! It's a projection from data, nothing more. And I believe science could potentially be right here, but he thought that we needed to solve it now?"

"I don't see how. If anything, he's trying to rip Galar apart..."

"He...thought he could contain it, and harness it..."

"Well clearly he couldn't." Raihan grumbled. "I just hope no one gets injured... _for Rose's sake_."

Leon turned his head in the wind to look over at his friend. The dragon-tamer looked sinister and determined. Leon very rarely saw his friend this intense outside of pokemon battles. 

"I hope as well."

Raihan gasped when he caught his first glimpse of Hammerlocke. A beam of pink energy was shooting up continuously, but this one had a large swirling mass of clouds around it. It looked like a giant Dragonaire wrapping around the beam. He was breathless for a moment. 

It had taken them two hours total. They landed in front of the Great Gates of the Hammerlocke outer wall. They almost landed inside Hammerlocke, but they both spotted Camilla and several first responders. A lot of citizens had made it out, but clearly not everyone. Raihan whistled loud before Flygon hovered down to the ground. Charizard and Leon joined him moments later. The titan of a man removed his flying goggles and replaced it with his headband. 

“Camilla, we- OOF!” Camilla ran into Raihan’s chest and held on tight for a moment.

“You made it!!!”

“Aw, kid…” He winced as he returned the hug. She was shaking like a leaf. “It’s going to be just fine. I’ve brought the champion. We’re expecting more help very soon.”

“S-sebastian’s still in there!! And Aria made it to the gatehouse! We can close the gates at any time.”

“Good show, Camilla. Keep helping out the people here.” 

They were getting last minute supplies to head in and help people. The gym leaders on the train had made it first, then the Flying Taxi, then Kabu on the back of a very tired Arcanine...and finally Melony and Opal arrived at the same time. Still no sign of Piers. Raihan worried, but he couldn't wait much longer. 

“Hey, Rai…?” Leon nudged his friend.

“Hm?” 

“Do you keep a Noivern on the grounds?”

Both men looked to the North, then turned more towards the east as they saw a sleek form making a wide turn over the outer walls of Hammerlocke. And there was no doubt it was a Noivern. Raihan could tell very easily. They could also see that the great dragon had a rider.

“No. That must be more help. HEY! DOWN HERE.” He waved. The pokemon eventually took notice and corrected its course towards them. Then he caught a glimpse of black and white hair. 

A switch had been flipped. The lights were finally on upstairs. Raihan was not one to back down from competition, but he also chased for the things that fed his passion. He sought it out in others, especially people he dated. They were all quite different people, and for different reasons none of them seemed to stay long, but they all had one thing in common: _none of them had tamed a dragon_. As Raihan looked on at the gorgeous man riding a huge Noivern straight toward them, he felt a sandstorm begin to manifest in his heart. He hoped the winds would never die down.

The Noivern landed gracefully, and a very frizzy-haired Piers slid off her back. 

"I'm not late, am I?" Piers asked. He summoned Colbur back into her Ultra Ball after thanking her with softly petting her behind the ear. 

"No. Not at all..." Raihan grinned at Piers like a love-drunk fool. 

"Um. Good. Let's crack on then?" 

"Mmm. Let's." 

As the gym leaders made their way up the steps of the Great Gate, they saw a group of Macro Cosmos employees waiting for them inside the city. Boy, were they scared when they saw all of the gym leaders accompanying Galar's Champion. Heading straight for them. Raihan shot a quick text to Aria, and in seconds the Great Gate began to lower behind them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fake Tears: The user feigns crying to fluster the target, harshly lowering its Sp. Def stat.


	9. Assurance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gym leaders battle to reclaim Hammerlocke on the Darkest Day. Piers and Raihan join forces to save the stadium, but all hell breaks lose when Eternatus gets riled up.

The streets of Hammerlocke hadn’t seen this much action since at least the Great Dragapult Attack of 1622. There was battling at each intersection. Several buildings got damaged, but nothing too serious yet. 

“Another one down!” Gordie celebrated another win against a Macro Cosmos employee. 

“Here, follow me this way, please.” Bea led another group of scared citizens towards the Route 7 exit from the city. Her brother had suggested the fleeing people and pokemon head somewhere with less of a chance of being caught near a dynamax event. That just so happened to be towards Spikemuth. 

“I say… You shall regret obstructing our path forward, gentlemen…” Opal began another battle, this time by teaming up with Milo. 

"Please follow Centiskorch with me." Kabu motioned for more people to leave by way of Route 7. A group of 10-12 people jogged behind him.

“ _~~You’ll pay the price for stopping us, now Malamar’s Payback hurts twice as much!!~~”_ Piers had Malamar use Payback. Another pokemon down. The employee he just won the battle against summoned back their pokemon and fled. He knocked on some more doors. Eventually, someone answered. He was able to convince them in very few words to get the hell out of the city…

“Piers! Over here!” Leon shouted above the chaos of several battles. 

“On it.” He snuck behind several townhouses, and passed by several League Staff by dodging them in an alleyway. Piers was feeling slightly winded if he were to be honest. It was a bit like Friday night, where this was a right wild party. But after waking up early AND flying over a literal tundra, he was feeling it now. Not the good feeling, more like the feeling he should've had more for breakfast today... But as always, he pushed himself forward. 

He reached Leon. The purple-haired man hugged him tightly. Piers was shocked, and therefore didn’t move at all. 

“Thank you for helping us, mate.”

“L-lee. Um...let’s uh. Keep movin’ forward.”

“Right, sorry.” Leon smiled sheepishly as he let go. They jogged closer towards Hammerlocke Stadium. "We're doing great! Almost there." Leon smiled more warmly, until more Macro Cosmos employees blocked their path. “Blast…”

“Lee, fancy a double battle?” Piers looked over with a wicked grin.

“I believe I do, Piersy.” Leon smiled back.

Dragapult and Scrafty made very short work of it. A quick Flamethrower and Brick Break fainted their opponents' Steel-type pokemon in one hit each. The two pokemon looked at one another and smiled. 

"Well done, you." Piers summoned Scrafty back.

"Good show as well!" Likewise, Dragapult was brought back. "Forward to the stadium!"

"Shh." Piers pointed down a nearby alley. There were more employees heading their direction. "Follow me." Piers snuck past with Leon behind him until they made it to a second alleyway. They slowly walked their way in.

"Thanks." Leon snuck behind Piers and checked over his shoulder to make sure no one was following them. Suddenly there were footsteps from up ahead. "Trust me," Leon whispered.

"Wha-" Piers was dragged by the wrist behind a cutout of brick wall. Leon held a hand over the singer's mouth as three Macro Cosmos employees ran past them. They ran to the end of the alley, looked around the streets, and bolted for the street to the right. Leon let go before Piers had time to struggle. "...thanks, mate."

"No worries. Um..." Leon looked both way in the alley. "Which way is our way forward, again?"

"Honestly...you an' that brother of yers need t'pay more attention b'fore rushin' around everywhere..." It was Piers' turn to drag Leon by the wrist as they ran towards Hammerlocke Stadium.

"H-hey!"

They made it to the Pokemon Center on the street right near the stadium itself. They entered for a quick rest. To Leon's horror, Piers walked further in and made his way over the counter towards the Pokemon Healing Station.

"Hey. Hey!"

"...hey?" Piers looked back.

"What are you doing?!" Leon whispered aggressively.

"...well I'm not gettin' a tan with this, am I?" He pressed several buttons in a specific sequence and the Regenerator booted up. 

"You can't just-! We'll get in so much trouble!"

"One of our local nurses showed me how." He keyed in more information. Then he clicked the buckle of his belt and set all six pokeballs into the machine without detaching them. 

"You shouldn't be doing this!"

"I already am." They both looked up at the screen as each Pokemon was displayed on the screen: Obstagoon, Scrafty, Skuntank, Malamar, Toxtricity, Noivern

"...it worked."

"Come on. Yer turn, Lee."

"Wait, I can't-"

"D'ya want a free heal. Now's th' time." Piers outstretched his hand over the counter after putting his belt back on.

"...okay." Leon detached each pokeball and handed them over. His black-and-white-haired companion set each one into the Regenerator with care. He keyed in another set of digits, and pressed the power. Leon's team showed up on the monitor: Aegislash, Dragapult, Haxorus, Rhyperior, Rillaboom, Charizard

"Didn't know ya had a Rillaboom."

"He's my newest teammate." Leon grinned.

"And done." The champion received his pokemon back.

"Thanks, Piers."

"Don't mention it..." 

* * *

"Anyone see Piers?!" Raihan asked among the gym leaders he could spot. 

"No, dear." Melony answered.

"No," replied Kabu.

"...I s-saw him." Allister whispered.

"Where?" Raihan walked forward. He stopped in front of Allister, giving him a comfortable amount of space.

"H-he went...that way." Allister pointed shyly toward the west sector of the city. "...Leon w-was with him. -AH!" The young boy got spooked as another Macro Cosmos employee jumped out from another street.

"You three go! I can handle this one." Kabu got his pokeball with his beloved Torkoal ready. 

"Are you sure?" Melony asked with a hint of worry.

"Yes, go before more arrive!" The older gentleman then turned to face his opponent. "The fire in our hearts will prove too hot to handle for you!" He tossed the pokeball forward just as the woman he was about to battle did the same. Raihan, Melony, and Allister ran off from the already quite violent battle. 

"Raihan, Allister? Do both of you have enough potions for your pokemon?" Melony already began to reach into her purse.

"Yes, I do. How about you, Allister?"

"...I c-could use a potion. I-if that's okay?"

"Here, sweetie," Melony slowly handed him a Hyper Potion. 

"Th-thank you...and m-mister Raihan?" 

"Yes?"

"...why did y-you want to find...Piers, s-specifically?"

"I, well...he's very strong. I think he could help us out." Raihan tried not to look nervous or bashful. He knew he was failing when he saw Allister giggle a bit.

"...oh. Okay." If any of them could see the ghost-type specialist's face under his mask, they would see a very cute and wholesome smile for a brief moment. However, he was wearing a mask. Melony would just have to imagine it, and Raihan would have to pray it wasn't as knowing a smile as it sounded. 

* * *

~SKRREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!~

Everyone stopped. Everyone looked up towards where it was no doubt they heard a strange pokemon cry out. The storm grew even stronger. It was like the increased turbulence during a den raid in the Wild Area.

“Ya gotta make it to the roof, don’t ya…” Piers half-mumbled as he looked to the sky for any sign of danger.

"I'm afraid so...” Leon was doing the same.

“Well then, you’re going to need more cover,” Raihan stated as he drew near. Both men turned their attention his way. He was followed by Melony and Allister. “We can manage that, _can’t we Piers?_ ” Raihan again grinned in a way that would be deemed far too forward by anyone that wasn’t in denial. Unfortunately for Raihan, Piers was in deep denial. 

“Y-yeah.” _Why is he looking at me like that…?_

“Good! Let’s enter the stadium all together then, and show them a real fight,” said Melony with a warm smile.

“...yeah. L-let’s go.” Allister walked cautiously towards Piers. “C-can I...join in?”

“Always, Allister.” Piers nodded very slowly in order to not frighten the young boy. “Ya can follow me if ya like.”

“...a ghost f-f-following a shadow? Yes…” Allister walked closer to Piers until he was within arm-grabbing distance. Raihan saw this and blushed. Piers was too damn cute around children, it was only making the sandstorm in his heart intensify! All five of them made their way into Hammerlocke Stadium.

The sight they were greeted with was. Unexpected. They were immediately rushed by Vice Chairman Oleana. Allister grasped at Piers' arm to hide behind him. 

“PLEASE, YOU MUST- Pardon me. Please help me! Two of my pokemon have just-”

~~CRASHHH~~

“-dynamaxed out of my control! At this rate, if they keep rampaging like this, the Energy Plant will…” Oleana looked quite horrified for a woman maintaining her cool at this point. “The Chairman! He’s still below!”

“Hm. We will take care of this, then,” Raihan began. He swatted at Leon’s leg and handed off a key to the emergency lift. Then he pointed over to the left as he continued. “And I expect there will be no opposition from the rest of the League Staff, of course.”

“No one will get in your way, Raih- Mr. Scayle.” 

“Ya sure ‘bout that Vice Chairman...?” Piers chimed in with a dark stare. “No more _menial games_ fer us t’play this time?”

“N-no more of that, Mr. Penumbra. I have just called off the rest of the employees. I can assure you of that.” Her levels of terror elevated at the sight of Piers among the group. She looked back to Raihan. Everyone took notice of the uneasiness. “I thought Chairman Rose just needed extra time to fix things once more, but I have just learned that he does not wish to do so. And now, we are in need of your help. Please hurry, before it’s too late!”

“Alright then,” Raihan stretched a bit. "Let’s get on the pitch, shall we?”

The group made their way towards the stadium. None of the League Staff noticed that Leon was no longer among their ranks. 

  
  


When they got down to the ground level, they heard more stomping and roaring. They found Sebastian hiding in the hallway leading to the pitch. Raihan motioned for him to go upstairs without a word. Sebastian just nodded and ran off. 

“Ready then?” Melony asked.

“...y-yes, Miss Melony,” whispered Allister.

“I always am,” Raihan answered with a smirk.

“Yeh,” Piers said bluntly.

They jogged onto the field.

They were met with the foul smell of acid spray mixed with brackish water, which now flooded half of the field. Towering above them all were two enormous Pokémon: Salazzle and Milotic! They were roaring at each other and all of the imaginary audience members of the stadium that were clearly not there. The clouds swirling above the seemed like those of a Den Raid pokemon...

"I have a plan," Raihan said. "How about we each send out two pokemon. Melony and Allister get Milotic, Piers and myself get Salazzle...?"

"Sounds lovely! Let's go, no time to delay!" Melony already walked towards the Milotic.

"W-wait!" Piers tried to get them to reconsider, but Allister had already run off with Melony. And why was he chuckling?

"Come on Piers, you and me." _This is going to be so cute, I can't wait._ Raihan began to lead them towards Salazzle. "Can your team handle our instense weather?"

"...can yer team handle our loud style?"

"Oh yes, they can..." _He's so hot when he smirks like that..._ "Ready?"

"Yeh. I've been ready..." 

They each summoned two pokemon each: Flygon & Goodra, Obstagoon & Skuntank. 

" _~~Let's go everyone, fight as one! We cannot quit until we've won!~~_ "

"Yeah, sing it loud! Show this Salazzle we mean business!" Raihan got his Dynamax Band ready. It wasn’t glowing. While he tried to shake it to get it to work, Piers continued.

“ _~~Use Obstruct and Screech to harmonize, cut this Salazzle down to size!~~_ ”

 _I can’t...I can’t Dynamax! Oh fuck! How is he so confident as to attack it head on like this???_ Raihan was frozen. 

“Oi. Raihan! Ya got this. It’s just like any other battle!” Piers looked over as his pokemon used the moves they were told to. “Consider it practice fer a proper rematch!”

“Y-you mean that?” Suddenly Raihan felt like all of his stats had increased, if he were a pokemon himself. Now, he was his wild and crazed self on the pitch again. “Flygon! Use Dragon Claw! Goodra, let’s use Thunder!”

And now it was Salazzle’s turn. As expected, the first move was Max Ooze. And just as Raihan had expected, Obstagoon was the target. The move did some damage, but the brute was standing. He didn’t even seem phased! Obstruct helped lower Salazzle’s Attack, and Skuntank’s Screech had weakened her Defense. His pokemon’s attacks were making better progress as a result. _How thoughtful...did he plan that?_

“ _~~Feel th’ wrath of our rockin’ crew, use Throat Chop and Sucker Punch, you two!~~_ ”

“Hey Piers! We’re holding nothing back! Flygon, Earthquake now! Goodra, let’s call in the storm with Rain Dance!! RAHHH!!!”

The sky broke into sheets of rain, and the ground shook terribly. Piers winced as his pokemon took damage, but at least Salazzle was looking like she was in a bad way now. Her retaliation was another Max Ooze. Flygon took the hit better than expected. 

Raihan got chills as he saw Piers look over at him and remove the microphone from the stand again… _Oh fuck! He’s going to do it again!!!_

“ _~~You know the drill, we’ve got no choice! Use Screech and scream with Hyper Voice! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!~~_ ”

“USE CRUNCH AND SURF!!! RAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

Raihan felt that rush of intensity. He tried to hold onto it for as long as he could. 

Finally, Salazzle was down. But so was Skuntank. Surf had knocked him out. After Salazzle fainted, Raihan and Piers summoned their partners back. And Raihan ran over to Piers.

“Piers! You were brilliant! We make an amazing team!” He scooped him up in a strong hug.

“R-raihan!”

“Oh I could just kiss you right now!” Raihan instantly gulped, then lowered his partner back to the ground. _Oh. I said that out loud… FUCK!!!!_ “I-i mean...jolly good show-” _That’s so much worse!!!_

“U-uh. Th-that was a…” Piers was nearly crimson after he was given some space. “-that was a right good battle Rai. I m-mean Raihan.” He turned his face away. _Wait...he’s blushing…_

“Way to go Allister!” They both turned to see Milotic finally faint, thanks to Dusknoir. Melony and Allister walked back soon after. “We’re done here for now, I believe. But I am most worried. I do not believe that pokemon cry from earlier was from either of these two, I’m afraid.”

“...n-no.” Allister agreed. “W-w-was something m-much bigger.”

“...let’s go rest fer now. I gotta feelin’ The Champion has it under control.” Piers began to leave. 

* * *

They told Oleana to collect her rogue pokemon, and Sebastian was now stationed at the stadium entrance to prohibit further access. Piers tried to skulk away when they had gotten outside, but he found that Raihan was honing in on him. He felt seen under a Wide Lens…

“Piers, could I have a word?”

“...yes. ‘Course.”

“I wanted to just say something about what happened back there.”

“What is it?” _Oh Arceus...here we go… He’s gonna say he didn’t mean it about the kissing. Well this is-_

“You can call me Rai. That is, if you want to,” Raihan was almost whispering. He looked bashful for once in his life. It was adorable and at the same time so confusing for Piers. 

“Um. Ok. Thanks.” He smiled for a second. 

“...also.”

“Huh?”

“I was wondering…” Raihan began to develop that cocky, flirtatious grin once more. “How did you ever tame that Noivern you rode in on? _I was quite impressed._ ”

“Oh...Colbur? She was my aunt’s, an’-”

“I recognized her, eventually. But I thought she was too mournful to obey... _however did you manage that?_ ” 

“!!!- nothin’ special.”

“Come on, you can tell me... _can’t you?_ ” 

“Mm. Maybe another time. I gotta check on things.” Piers walked off, yanking a bit forcefully on his choker. He went into the Pokemon Center to heal again, and thank Arceus Raihan didn’t follow him!

Piers took far longer than he planned to in the Pokemon Center. He found his hands were shaky, as were his knees. _Raihan, you beautiful bastard...why do you have to sound so- Look so- UGH!!!_ The singer finally worked up the nerve to exit the building. He headed back towards the stadium, only to find that Raihan was there waiting for him!

“I feel like yer stalkin’ me…”

“I was just standing by, I promise. It seems that Leon is having a tougher time of it to conquer whatever is up there…” They both watched as move after move was flung across the top of the stadium roof. 

“Oh. That looks right nasty up there…”

“I almost feel sorry for whatever it is. Hop and Gloria just made it up there.”

“G-gloria and Hop!?”

“Yes. They refused to do anything other than help Lee.” The taller of the two stretched both arms behind his head, closed his eyes for a moment, and pouted lightly. “I still can’t understand why Chairman Rose would do this… But at least the citizens have made it out…”

“What 'bout us? What 'bout them? Up there…?”

“Hm?” Raihan cracked an eye open to look at Piers. “They’ll be fine, don’t fr-”

**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM**

Both men looked up just in time to see chunks of building crumbling away at the top. Two beams of light shot down from the heavens as the horrifying sight of a giant hand-like shape fought the people above. 

"Shite! We sho- LOOK OUT!" Piers grabbed Raihan close. Both of them jumped as a boulder-sized mass of bricks crash-landed where Raihan just was standing. 

"...we need to go."

The Dragon-type leader grabbed Piers' wrist and rushed them both away from the stadium. This proved very difficult as objects and debris began to lift into the air and swirl around at high speeds.

It became a game of keep-away. Not a fun game of keep-away, where you would sprint away from your best mates in a grassy meadow. This game of keep-away was deadly, and fast, and if you didn't drag the other person away from the flight path of a street sign hurtling towards them, they would be cut in half. They were stuck as some of the street began to crack. Several buildings were getting torn up.

"We need to be in the air!" Raihan shouted. 

"Can't! Too dangerous!"

"WATCH IT!" Raihan grabbed Piers close to him as another one of those temporary portals opened in front of them. This was dangerous too. They looked like they could lead to the other towns. Neither of them wanted to wait around and find out if they actually were portals. They didn't want to fall in. They kept dodging debris and making their way to Route 7. 

And then...the wind died down as radiant light erupted all around them. They stopped in their tracks in order to shield their eyes. Maybe Gloria and Hop won? But now everything in the air had to return to Earth. 

There was no time to fly. No time to run. Piers looked at a huge mass of building and made a split-second decision. He reached for Obstagoon's Dusk Ball.

"OBSTRUCT!"

Everything came raining down. Raihan shuddered as Obstagoon leapt in front of him. Then there was dust and dirt. It was everywhere and they both coughed it up for a bit. On instinct, Raihan had crouched down and tried best to cover his head. Obstagoon had successfully diverted the debris. Well. That was what he thought. But he heard a groan behind him and looked back.

"...p-piers?" He scrambled to the singer's side. He didn't consider formalities and manners at a time like this. He immediately reached for the man's neck to see if he had a pulse. Rai nearly cried, because he wasn't sure; his hands were shaking far too much. So he brought the back of his hand an inch away from Piers' nose. Yes! He was breathing!

"Goooooon..." The dark-type growled. 

"O-oh! H-h-hello, Obstagoon!" Raihan held very still as he felt the pokemon's snout sniff at the back of his neck. "L-Listen, I need your help here." He pointed down at Piers. 

The scene could have been worse, but also could have been far better. Piers was half-face down in the dirt with a bleeding head and his hair caught under a massive chunk of the rubble. Crimson coated the part of his face underneath bangs and a puddle was already beginning to form.

Raihan was able to turn him over onto his back, but he didn't want to move him any more than that. He had seen a survival documentary recently and knew not to carry him out. That wouldn't be possible anyhow with the man's hair stuck in the rubble, but even if he were cut free... No moving without professional help. 

"...Piers. Hey. Wake up mate." He gently tried to rouse Piers from his unconscious state. 

"...r-rai..." Piers cracked a bleary eye open. 

"Piers. Don't move." Raihan took off his headband to apply pressure to the wound. At least it wasn't deep. Head injuries just bled a lot. 

"...ey...fuckin' 'ell..." He gripped at his aching head as well as Raihan's hand applying the pressure. "...yer...?"

"Hm?"

"...yer ssso _fit._ " Piers began to giggle very weakly. _Good lord, he's injured! I shouldn't be finding this cute! What is wrong with you, Raihan!!!_

"I am, aren't I?" _He needs to stay awake, now that I got him... Ugh...he's going to kill me for this if he remembers any of it..._ "Do tell..."

"...y'r so han'some...oh, hey Obst'goon!...like'a damn dreammmm..." He raised a hand to touch Riahan's face. 

"Y-you really think so?"

"YESSS...ow...'course i dooo...wanna snog ya rrreal fierce...!" _Arceus, I hope so. But another bloody time!_

"Listen, Piers. I need to get help. But I can't leave you alone. You need t-"

"nooooo, don't go, Raiiiii..." Piers accidentally hugged Obstagoon instead, leaving the dragon-type expert to slip away. 

"I must. Is there a pokemon that can watch you best?"

"...hmm..." It took Piers a while to think on it, and being shaken awake twice. "...Malaaa...?"

"Malamar? Which pokeball?"

Piers slowly inched his hand to his belt. He found Malamar. The pokeball shot out the light. 

"Maaala- MARMAR!?!?"

"...ey. Can ye- AAH!" Piers yelped as Malamar tried to pet his head. The Dark-Psychic type removed his tentacle and looked at Raihan. 

"M-mar...?" A tentacle reached out for Raihan's head. The other trainer flinched away. Malamar rolled his eyes. "Mar. Mala...!" 

"Um...sure." He got the hint and let the tentacle touch his forehead. He wasn't used to the psychic energy that skipped across his mind:

_Worry, but Gratitude. Blinking lights. Wakefulness. Rushing wind in flight. Ambulance sirens._

"I think I...maybe understand? Keep him awake. I'll be back. And, thank you..."

"...don' goooo..." Piers whined again. "...isssok...'m fine, Marmar..."

"M-malaaa..." Everything was starting to just now hurt. And Piers was getting sleepy again. That is, until he saw the blinking lights on Malamar's belly. Those were suddenly quite curious, very hypnotizing. He thought it was the most important thing right now to look at them and try to find a pattern among them. Who could possibly sleep when the most beautiful patterns of colored light needed to be viewed with his full attention. He didn't even notice Raihan rush to get help on Flygon's back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Assurance: If the target has already taken some damage in the same turn, this attack's power is doubled.
> 
> This was a bit later than anticipated, but I hope to get the next chapter out there sooner. :) And things will be looking better for poor Piers soon!


	10. Switcheroo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the conclusion of the Darkest Day, multiple people realize that life is too short to hide how they feel.

Piers remembered some things. He knew something had sliced him above his right brow. He had been really dizzy from that point onwards. He said some...things. There were these gorgeous lights, then he woke up in the hospital. How did that even happen?

The singer took note of which arm was receiving the saline drip from the IV, and used his other arm to reach up and feel his head bandages. 

“...i was lucky.” He had no idea just how lucky he was. If the chunk of building had landed any closer, he wouldn’t be awake. Ever again. One of the few downsides to this, was when he went to feel the back of his head. His luck was not without limit. “W-what happened to my…?” His hand rested upon tangled tresses that ended just above the shoulders... 

Piers heard a yawn from across the room. He turned his head slowly to see Marnie and Morpeko both waking up from their nap in a comfy visitor’s chair. 

“...hey Marns.”

“...? Piers?” She cracked an eye open. Morpeko began to wiggle free from her arms. She scampered up to his bed and jumped up.

“Morpeko-pekooo!!!” There were tears flying away from her little round pokemon face. Morpeko was hugging his side the best she could with her tiny limbs. 

“Sorry fer givin’ ya a scare…” Piers said softly. 

“...d-don’t do that again.” He looked to see Marnie approaching with a few tears of her own. “Move over.” She crawled into the hospital bed with her older brother and hugged him. 

“I hope I won’t have’ta.”

“Mor-kokoko…!” Piers carefully pet Morpeko’s head to reassure her that he was far from flat-lining. He wrapped his other, IV-less arm around his little Marnie. 

“...I’m. Really happy yer okay.”

“I’m glad yer safe.” He leaned down with a little pain to plant a small kiss on her head. 

“Um...Hop is here, an’ Gloria is on her way.” Marnie whispered. 

“Where’s th’ loud-mouthed bugger at?” He looked around the room. 

“With his bro. Leon got knocked 'round too.” 

“Oh... How bad?”

"Far better off than yerself."

"Oh. That's good."

“We’re goin’ t’ the cafeteria fer some nosh. Sorry.”

“No. I’d prefer it. Ya runts eat more than a Snorlax. Y' wouldn't survive on the standard one cup of bone broth.”

“Hehehe,” Marnie let herself giggle as she hugged her brother tighter. "That's what y'get fer playin' the hero, _dummy_. Y’look shite by the way...”

”Oh. Thanks... _had no clue._ ” He gave her the side eye. 

* * *

Marnie, Hop, and Gloria met up in the cafeteria as promised. The two kids tried to distract their friend from thinking about her brother’s injury. They talked about how the Champion match would be held tomorrow if Leon was discharged from the hospital as planned, and the festival would still be on. 

“Will you both be there for the festival?” Gloria asked. “I want to go, no matter the outcome. I was hoping we could go together…?”

“...I might.” Marnie mumbled as she suddenly became very invested in looking at her potato curry. 

“Hell yeah! No matter what, I’ll have a reason to celebrate!” Hop set down his spoon of curry for a moment. “Hopefully it’s because you’ve won! But even so, I can celebrate having two really cool friends!”

“!!!” Both girls looked at Hop with wide, almost teary eyes. He saw this and grimaced.

“D-did I say something wrong?”

“No!” Gloria smiled. “That was super sweet of you to say!!” Marnie nodded shyly in agreement. 

They went on like that for most of the meal. Being teens, they had relatively short attention spans. They leap-frogged between many different topics. Gloria caught sight of someone very tall on line for food, and suddenly had to change the subject yet again.

“Guys. Look, it’s Raihan.” Her two mates turned their heads to spy on the gym leader. They weren’t too surprised. This hospital was in Hammerlocke after all. And the extremely tall man had promised to visit Leon soon. 

“...watch Morpeko fer me.” In an instant, Marnie looked fiercely determined as she handed over her companion pokemon to Hop who was seated next to her. She rose from the table and walked straight towards Raihan. 

“What is she doing?!” Hop pondered aloud.

“I have no idea…” Gloria looked equally puzzled.

The dragon-type expert got the last of his luncheon on the tray and paid for it all. He was looking for an empty table. That was easy to find since this wasn’t a busy hour to eat. He began his walk to the table, when he was cut off by a short pop-punk girl with a black leather jacket and pink dress.

“Hey. You’re Raihan.”

“...Yes? And you’re...Marnie, was it?” He recognized the girl from both their battle this season as well as the pictures from their very recent trip to Seviper's. 

“Yeh, that’s me. _D’ya fancy my bro?_ ”

“!!!- Um, what?”

“Do you. Fancy. _My bro?_ ”

“M-marnie, that’s a very forward question.” He tried to play it cool, but he knew she could see straight through it. "Care to join me for a bit?” He motioned at the table he wanted to sit at. 

“Sure.” After they sat down, she instantly was back on the attack. “Itsa yes or no..."

"...um. It's complicated."

"He fancies ya. Where's th' issue?"

"MAR-nie... He was going to shout, but caught himself. "We've spoken on the subject, but I'm not sure he was...firing on all burners. He's just had a head injury."

"...I can prove it. " Marnie took out her phone. She scrolled through her recent photos until she found the picture she needed. "Here. See, he's-"

"Were you all spying on us?" Raihan looked over at Hop and Gloria from across the cafeteria. They were staring back at him like two hungry Gabites. When they saw he was looking at them, they both waved at him with beaming smiles. That alone answered his question. 

"Maybe..." Marnie made him look down at her phone again. "Look. He stands taller with ya. He only does that when he sings."

"...really." He couldn't look away from the picture. It was subtle, but they both looked so at ease with one another at the bar. 

“He loves singin’ more than most things, ya know.”

”Well, suppose he was simply glad to see me in a platonic sense...”

"Don’t think so."

"Hmmm..." Raihan's thoughts shifted as he took on the new assumption that Marnie was correct. "Say I were to....ask your brother out. How do you feel about that?"

"So ya fancy 'im?"

"...yes."

"He's happier than he's been in years, so I approve...I guess..."

"Then, say I were to ask him out soon. Would you be so kind as to tell me something that would make him happy?"

"...why else would I be here, _dragon boy?"_

After a few more minutes of Marnie helping Raihan scheme, she left the table to rejoin her friends.

"Marnie! What were you talking about with Raihan?" Gloria still held Morpeko as she offered the small pokemon more berries.

"...what I had to."

"You didn't...tell him we know, did you?" Hop asked.

"Not just that. I gave him an idea or two...now we wait."

"Marnie! You're mad! Brilliant, but mad!"

* * *

He knew that Lee said over the phone that he was completely fine. And the champion was going to be let out later today if his tests all came back perfect. But Raihan still held onto his worry. Of course, all of his worries were tossed into the rubbish bin when he entered Leon's hospital room to visit. He looked like himself. And he had a smile that could make the sun look like a dinky little flashlight.

“You look far too happy to be in here, mate.”

“Thanks for visiting me! They just wanted to be sure.”

“Damn, is there even room for me in here?” Raihan looked around at all of the flowers, get-well cards, gift baskets, and other such gifts from all of Lee’s adoring fans. He could tell one of the bigger gift baskets was from either Gordie or Melony: it had a canister of very expensive hot cocoa mix that was sold only in Circhester. 

“The chair’s the only space left, I’m afraid. Heheh…”

“Cool.” The gym leader of Hammerlocke sat himself down. His knees were higher up than his hips in the low chair. “So. Are you really doing well?”

“Yes! It was... _frightening_. But I’m mostly uninjured. Just some bruises.” Lee smiled again. 

“I’m really glad to hear that.” Raihan smiled back.

“Hey, Rai. How’s Piers?”

“...I haven’t seen him yet.”

“How bad?”

“A gash above his brow. But I heard he’s recovering fine.”

“That’s good to hear…” Leon relaxed a bit more. It really was a relief to hear that his old friend was alright. 

“If it cheers you up, I’ve got something for you. To say thank you for helping save the world, and all.”

“Oh? That’s funny! I’ve got something for you too, Rai.”

“What? They let you go to the shops in that flimsy gown?” Raihan smirked.

“Hop picked it up for me...” Lee began to blush.

“Hm. Exchange at the same time?”

“Sure,” Lee reached over to the wheel-in table next to him and picked up a small box. Raihan reached into his pocket after standing up. “Here you are.” They exchanged the two parcels.

**Leon received 6 Max Revives.**

**Raihan received a Dusk Stone.**

“-YOU?!”

“YOU!!?!”

They exploded into fits of hysterical laughter. The two got so winded that a nurse came in to check on Leon’s vitals. They just laughed more, explaining to the poor chap that they were just two fools laughing at something insanely funny to only them. The nurse respectfully asked them to try to calm down a bit, for the patient’s sake, and left. By that time, their sides were sore. 

“How did you ask her?!?!”

“Over the phone…?”

“Awww, mate!!! What a cock-up!!”

“I-i wouldn’t say that...” Leon looked to the side as he pouted. “We had a really lovely video call. And I poured my heart out. She cried tears of joy. W-we both did, actually. I’m just really happy she wants to be with me too.” His small smile was too pure for Raihan to handle. 

“That’s rather sweet, actually. Maybe you did well after all.”

“But what about YOU!?!?” Now Leon threw the ball back into the other fool’s court. “That has to have been the shortest bet you have ever lost!!!”

“... _it was even earlier_...” Raihan’s blush crept up. 

“Oh Arceus, _when_ you oaf?” 

“When he... _rode in on that Noivern_ …”

“... _I KNEW IT!_ I FUCKING KNEW IT!” Leon was laughing again, but tried not to worry the nurses. “Raihan Dorian Scayle, _have you no shame?!_ ”

“No. Don’t believe I do…” 

“Ugggh! I should have put you on the spot that very moment!”

“We were too busy stopping the Darkest Day, remember?” 

“Oh. Hm. I guess that makes the delay acceptable...this time. But how long are you going to wait to ask him? Do we need another bet for that one?”

“No need.” His friend stretched his shoulders a bit. “I’ve got a plan.”

”Won’t you tell me what is, then?” Lee allowed Raihan to whisper it to him. As the plan was explained, Leon’s smile grew wider and wider. 

* * *

It was the next day. Leon was released yesterday, so they were going forward with the festivities and fanfare of the Champion Match in about an hour. Piers had given Marnie his blessing to head back to Wyndon on a Flying Taxi with the runts. He would miss it for certain, but he didn’t want her to miss it as well. She had been secretly very excited for the festival and the chance to cheer on Gloria in person.

The other nurse had turned on the news for him so he could see the match. But before then, there were several breaking news stories:

**Why did Chairman Rose attempt to bring back the Darkest Day? And why did he then turn himself in?**

**How will affected areas recover? What parts do pokemon play in the repair process?**

**Who will win in today’s ground-breaking Championship Pokemon Battle, and will Galar have a new Champion?**

**What’s next for the famous singer _Piers_ now that he has resigned from his position as-**oh shite... 

He groaned and turned the telly off again. He didn't care to hear the speculation of the press on his personal life.

"Excuse me? Mr. Penumbra?" The nurse had returned to check on him and take back his finished cup of bone broth. They wouldn't let him eat solids yet. He thought it was unfair. But he wouldn't have eaten much anyway. 

"Yeh."

"There is a visitor here to see you!"

"I’m not seein’ any reporters. Tell ‘em t’get lost."

"No, sir. It’s Gym Leader Raihan."

"...tell 'im no." 

"But how else am I supposed to give you this gift?" Raihan called through the crack in the door. 

"The nurse can take it in." 

"But I wanted to chat as well!" 

"...ugh, fine then." 

"Alright then, sir." The nurse opened the door for Raihan. He walked in with smaller strides. The gym leader of Hammerlocke looked like he was fine. He always looked very fine, very _fit._ Just as usual, he wore the proper uniform with his iconic dragon-design hoodie. It made Piers feel very underdressed in just his underpants and hospital gown, indeed. He drew the blankets closer to his waist. 

"Hello, Piers."

"...hello, Raihan." Piers tried to look down at his hands after clearly eyeing the man up. The nurse left soon after, leaving them alone together. Raihan walked over to the visitor chair and dragged it closer to the bed until he was no more than three feet away. 

"So. How is my _hero_ doing today?"

"I'm no hero..." 

"You are to me...but I'm not here to debate all that! How are you?"

"Fine, I guess. Just groggy."

"Thank goodness. But I’m sorry about your hair...”

”It's just hair...Better t'be plain than...nevermind.” There was some awkward silence between them. Piers didn't want to look, but he knew Raihan was staring. 

”Uh. I have a gift for you, to say thanks. And I wanted to give it to you in person.” 

"..." Piers reached for his choker, and got embarrassed when he was left grasping at his pale neck. He shifted so his arm rested at his side and he curled a finger around the top corner of his blanket. "Shame. Yer gonna miss the match, y’know..." 

"Oh, that’s alright. I’d rather be here! I just hope you like it," Raihan handed him something. ”It's super cheesy, I know..." Piers looked over to his visitor and spied the object in question. He took it and looked it over. It was a stuffed animal: _an Absol_. "I remembered you liked the Absol story best, so I thought this might cheer you up! Maybe remind you of home as well. I know this is the last place anyone wants to be stuck in, hehe.”

"Raihan..." 

"I know. Super cheesy..." Raihan looked away with a blush spreading across his face. "I should've gotten you something more than this, but it just made me think of you, and-" Raihan stopped when he heard sniffling. "P-Piers?" 

"...this-" Several tears slowly slid down Piers’ cheek. He couldn’t hide it, and he hated that. "... _this is too much_." 

"What? What's wrong?!" Raihan stood up and sat on the side of Pier's hospital bed. "Are you in pain? I can fetch someone!"

"No. It's...this. All this. Yer far too kind t'me..." Piers looked away completely. 

"Hey, no no...please don't talk like that!" Raihan reached out and took hold of Piers' hand. “You do deserve it! Frankly, you deserve more. I was so worried about you.”

"No, y'don't get it..." 

"Could you enlighten me, perhaps?"

"Yer just- this is-" Piers was gritting his teeth. He found the courage to be honest was slipping away. 

"Piers? Please tell me. I can take it, whatever it is."

"...i-i'm so sorry." Piers was only able to whisper. “those things i said, when i was down...” 

" _Piers._ " Raihan sounded stern. Bordering on upset, one might say. He squeezed his hand a little harder. It was enough to get Piers to finally look him in the eye. "I won't let you think, for _one more second_ , that you did anything wrong or unwanted. Please don't fret over any of it, anything at all. It's my fault for not being clear. So I'll tell you now... I fancy you, too. This may come as a shock to you, but you are so smart, and beautiful, and amazing. So much so that you have _bewitched me_ in less than 48 hours...” Raihan paused. Which was a mistake. Now, he had a chance to think about what he had said, causing him to worry for a split-second that he had been far too forward. "Um. What I mean by all of this is, uhhh. I would love to be more than friends, er. If you want." 

"God, I'm dreamin'! You'd never..." Piers tried to pull his hand free as a new round of tears fell at the confession, but the grip on him tightened. "Let me wake up..."

" _Oh, Piers..._ You're not dreaming." 

“I said: _Let me wake up, now._ ” Piers tried to pull away again, but with less conviction. 

"...does this feel like a dream to you? _"_ Raihan lifted the pale hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss upon it. "Or did that feel real?"

"..." Piers maybe forgot to breathe for a few moments.

"What about this one...?" Raihan kissed his hand again. He was growing pleased with the blush blooming across Piers' face. Soon, he hoped to dry the tears. 

"Rai...?" 

"Yes?"

"You really mean it?"

" _You tell me._ " He kissed Piers' hand again, now with a playful smirk. 

"...I don’t know. It doesn’t feel real yet.” Piers was red in the face and a small, hesitant smile nudged the corners of his lips.

”Does...this feel real?” Raihan leaned in close, bringing his other hand to rest on Piers’ cheek, and placed a small kiss on the bridge of his nose.

”Not sure...” 

”Maybe.” The taller of the two let go so that he could properly cup his crush’s face in both hands. “Maybe this will convince you...” He brought their lips together. It was gentle and sweet. Piers allowed his eyes to flutter closed. 

“Maybe...one more will do the trick?” 

”It’s worth a try...” They kissed again a little more confidently. Piers brought his hands to rest on Raihan’s shoulders. 

“-wun morr?” Piers mumbled against his lips between gentle kisses. “Anuth'rr... Mmm... Just wun m- **FUCKIN’ HELL!!!** ” Piers shoved Raihan off after their foreheads touched, aggravating his head wound. 

”Sorry! Sorry about that!” Raihan looked down at him very apologetically. “Maybe we should stick to hand holding at the moment...”

”Yeh. Don't want the stitches t'burst." Piers wiped away his tears. Another moment passed, and they looked at each other, giggling. "Did I really 'bewitch' ya...?"

_"Oh, completely..."_

* * *

They turned the telly on just in time to catch it all. They weren't the only spectators nearby. As they both shouted at certain moves and held their breath at others, they heard other patients and staff cheering outside the room. The whole time, Raihan and Piers held each other's hand. Raihan winced at the pain a couple of times as Piers squeezed his hand too hard. He let him; he had earned it from disturbing the poor bloke's wound. 

Practically the whole hospital floor roared as Leon's final pokemon fainted. Neither of them fully doubted that Gloria could do it, but it just felt so unreal while seeing it all unfold in Room 315 of Chancey Medical in northern Hammerlocke. In a moment of excitement, Piers grabbed a fistful of Raihan's hoodie and kissed him hard in celebration. He took care to angle them so that there was less of a chance of repeating their earlier blunder. When they parted, Raihan was properly flustered. 

"Piers, will you go out with me?!" 

"Yes...on one condition." 

"Name it. Anything." 

"Ya tell me why ya like th' bloody Archer story." Piers brought the Absol plushie close to his chest. "I can't understand why on earth that's yer favorite."

"Hahahah! Is that it?" Raihan laughed sweetly. "I like _The Archer's Gambit_ because my nanny told it to me. I admit, it didn't start off as my favorite, but it was hers. She told it really well. So it just...reminds me of the happier days. And uh...now it makes me think of you a little bit."

" 'Cause of the hair...?" Piers did not look impressed. 

"No no! It makes me think about how you're free of being gym leader now. Like how the archer escapes in the end- not the hair, the freedom, yes? You have the time now to focus on your music and yourself. I hope you'll be happier now with all this freedom."

"...charmer." Piers was maybe, possibly, a little impressed now.

" _G_ _uilty_. So while we're on the topic...how did you tame Colbur? I wasn't kidding when I said I was very, _very impressed._ "

"...um. It's embarrassin'..."

"Come on! Fair's fair."

"Ugh, fine." Piers readjusted in the bed to get more comfortable. "I may have...cried."

"Cried?"

"Yeh. She knew me when I was far younger..."

"So you got her to see you as her little baby again? That's so..."

"Stupid, I know."

"...I was going to say _cute_. Why are you so bloody cute?"

"...don't tease." Piers looked to the side and blushed, but he was smiling a bit.

"I don't know. It seems you only get more adorable the more I tease you, Piers." With great caution this time, Raihan put a finger under his crush's chin and guided him back into his line of sight. "So. Will you go out with me? Be boyfriends and all that?"

"Yes."

They kept holding hands, stealing small kisses, and talking almost non-stop for most of the afternoon. Sadly, Raihan wasn't allowed past visitor hours. But he made sure both of their phones charged while they were together. That way, they could text each other after he had left. Piers was checking his own texts. Gloria had gotten his earlier congratulations, and sent pictures of all three kids going wild at the festival. He cracked up when he saw silly pictures, like Hop trying to shove a whole funnel cake into his face, or Marnie with messy hair after getting off of a fast carnival ride. He wasn't surprised he got a call from Marnie herself.

"Hey sis. How's the Tilt-A-Whirl?"

"Yer welcome."

"What's that mean?"

"That you an' Dragon Boy are an item now? _Duh._ "

"How do you...I didn't even tell ya..."

"Ughhh, check PokeGram ya clod."

Piers put his sister on speaker-mode as he opened PokeGram. He had gotten a LOT of notices about a picture he was tagged in. He found Raihan's page:

**DragonboiRaihan241**

**Status: Currently Dating Penumbra061**

**DragonboiRaihan241: Congratulations to @Glory013 and @ChampLeonOfficial for a brilliant match today! I expect to see continued greatness from both amazing trainers!!! Saw the match with the lovely @Penumbra061, wishing him a swift recovery! <3 <3**

The post was joined by several pictures: the first was a zooming-in shot of Gloria & Leon on the telly. The picture had emojis around it like the “100%!” and the “party noise-maker”. The second was a shot of the Absol plushie. The last was a candid shot of them cheering. Thank fuck he was a blur of motion. But Raihan looked into the camera like he was swooning, hand on his heart, and a bunch of little “heart” emojis were swarming around them.

”I had no clue... He posed!?”

”He’sa real catch, that one.”

” _Easy now._ Marns, what'd ya do?”

”He just needed a nudge."

"I wanna be pissed off..."

"But?"

"I'm too happy right now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Switcheroo: The user trades held items with the target faster than the eye can follow.
> 
> I might end the story here, or I might add an epilogue chapter for that one part in the post-game...where Raihan is being very obvious. Thank you all for reading my work, and leaving such nice comments! It really makes me so happy that you guys have enjoyed my writing so far! 
> 
> But for sure I want to write another Raihan x Piers and make it a series! (They live in my head rent-free, now.) I think it would be cool to continue from this story to chronicle Raihan and Piers pushing each other to try new things, especially now with Piers' freedom from his gym leader duties. And perhaps I will make a chapter or two NSFW? What do you all think?


End file.
